The Father Of The Detective Story

“The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1841 is considered to be the first true detective story ever written, and the influence for works such as Sherlock Holmes. The narrator and his friend C. Auguste Dupin, after finding out about an intriguing murder, find themselves trying to free an innocent man and find the real beast behind the murders in the rue morgue. Through Poe’s use of symbolism and vivid imagery, the theme of the story is revealed as the struggle between the analytical, emotional, and imaginative. The Murders in the Rue Morgue presents a recurring theme of the battle between the analytical, emotional, and imaginative. In the beginning of the story, Poe describes a chess battle in great detail,

Edgar Allan Poe was a very famous writer and editor. He wrote mainly wrote poetry and was famous for his tales of horror and mystery. These stories were known to capture the reader's interest and their imagination for anyone reading this story. They were known to be truly captivating to the people of the 19th century when he was alive and even today. Edgar Allan Poe had many great accomplishments including self-publishing his very first book and had some of “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym.”He also launched a new genre of detective fiction when he released his book "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." While being such a great writer and introducing this new genre he earned himself the nickname of Father of the Detective story and won a literary prize in 1843 for a book of his called “The Gold Bug.” He is mainly known now for his poem “The Raven” which became a huge literary sensation in 1845.

As Edgar’s Time at The Literary Messenger came to a close, Poe began to publishing more works like Tales of the Grotesque Arabesque and then would continue to work in the presidential election (Padgett 57,63). Edgar would soon become “Struck by illness” (Tilton 58); this illness was caused simply by Poe’s over use of alcohol. Edgar Allen Poe would soon being a new job at Graham’s Magazine (Tilton 60). Throughout Poe’s time at Graham’s Magazine he spent time with the most influential writers and publishers of his life, Clinton Bradshaw and Howard Pinckney (Tilton 60). With such amazing inspiration Poe’s audience would respond more to what he was publishing. With the publication of “The Murders in Rue Morgue,” the first modern detective story, Poe would create a new level of fame for himself (Tilton 61). The year 1841 would be the one of the last periods of time when Poe is truly happy.

When you think about the first detective story ever written, Edgar Allen Poe probably doesn’t come to mind. He is most known for his melancholic and gruesome tales of stories such as a guilty man’s conscience giving him the impression of hearing the man he killed heart beating through the floorboards, or even a raven symbolizing the inevitable death we will all face. Despite these well-known contributions, his writings concerning the detective field have left an indisputable mark on pieces following his time.

“Although dissolute in his personal life, when Poe touched pen to paper, he became a disciplined craftsman.” (Carnes 300). Edgar Allan Poe cemented his place in American literature by publishing countless poems and short stories, including “The Raven” and “Masque of the Red Death.” Poe effectively invented the detective fiction genre and perfected the horror story. His style, visionary as it was, was not with its influences. A life filled with tragedy, disappointment, alcoholism, and depression shaped Poe’s seemingly strange and taboo mind. Many of Poe’s writings were directly impacted by events in Poe’s life. In the Romantic period of the mid 1800’s, Edgar Allan Poe succeeded among American

Edgar Allan Poe was a 19th century American writer who is best known for his poetries and short stories.Poe wrote in many genres;however, his most famous works were written in the mystery or horror genre.According to Robert Giordano,”Poe wrote quite a few gothic stories about murder, revenge, torture, the plague, being buried alive, and insanity” (Giordano).Many of his prominent works include “The Raven,”The Fall of the House of Usher,” and ”The Tell-tale Heart.” The spectacular work of Edgar Allan Poe would be commended and acknowledged throughout history.

Many people enjoy the detective and crime shows, but what they may not realize is that Edgar Allan Poe was the one to pioneer this genre. For the short stories, poems, and a few books he wrote, Edgar Allan Poe is a recognized American writer. He lived in the era of westward expansion, slavery laws beginning to become an issue, and most influential to Poe, Tuberculosis(TB) was a major issue. There was not yet a cure for people with TB, in fact, there wouldn’t be a known cure for another 100 years after his life. He lost many people during his life; his father left before Poe was 3 years old, his mother died from TB when Poe was three. He moved into a foster home, but stories tell that his foster father did not like him so he struggled to find the support he needed both as a child and as a broke college student. Although many myths state that Poe was a drunkard and incapable of love, he was married. His outsiderness in his foster home likely influenced his writing, as well as his irregularity and uniqueness, and his horrid memories of how TB had taken some of his closes family. Poe’s unique literary techniques enhance his macabre writing style.

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most celebrated literary authors of all time, known for writing very suspenseful, dramatic short stories and a poet; is considered as being a part of the American Romantic Movement, and a lesser known opinion is he is regarded as the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. Most recognized for his mystery and macabre, a journey into the dark, ghastly stories of death, deception and revenge is what makes up his reputation. The short story under analysis is a part of his latter works; “The Cask of Amontillado”, a story of revenge takes readers into the mind of the murderer.

Edgar Allan Poe’s influence on American literature was nothing short of great; not only was he the creator of the detective story and the horror thriller, but he also influenced many great writers, among those William Faulkner and Fyodor Dostoevsky. While Poe is best known for his horror thrillers, being the creator of that particular genre, he has also fashioned two other literary genres, like the detective and the science fiction genre. Throughout his life, Poe read, reviewed, and critiqued many books for various magazines and papers. Poe did not hesitate to attack what he deemed inferior. “Is purely too imbecile to merit an extended critique,” he once wrote of a novel. Because of his readiness to attack what he believed to be unworthy,

As a child, I loved nothing better than relaxing in front of the coal fire naturally engrossed in Sherlock Holmes movies on our monochrome television. Nevertheless, these wonderful stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle started my lifelong passion for his juicy murder mysteries. His brilliance, not to mention his dedication to education throughout his lifetime, I admire this fine gentleman. Being an adventurous man and standing up for his unwavering beliefs on spiritualism.

Poe's detective fiction or mystery fiction can best be felt in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes is one of the best knows detectives in the history of literature. His fame can be spotted in the books that have been written and the movies that have been produced about Holmes. Poe's works were able to influence the author of the Sherlock Holmes series, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in which he based the character of Sherlock Holmes off of one of Poe's characters whose name was Dupin who was used in the mystery story The Murders in the Rue Morgue. The similarities between the two characters are quite grand. “Both are solitary men who prefer to live quietly in either isolation or in the company of one close companion.”(“Nineteenth Century Influenced Poe”). Both men also tend to shift to the bottom of their mysteries without a large amount of clues that other detective writers appear to have in their stories. The impact that Poe has had on authors and stories cannot be matched. His stories have provided a model for future authors to use, in the hope of growing the notoriety of mystery fiction or the horror genre.

    Edgar Allan Poe once said, “With me, poetry has not been a purpose, but a passion.” When stressed, writing was his coping mechanism, and through observation, many grasp how much death encompassed Poe. Although not appreciated during his era, he revolutionized mystery with mesmerizing story plots that yield suspense, but also makes readers question his stability. Most importantly, unlike those famous during his lifetime who are now forgotten, Poe’s legacy will live on forever. Moreover, throughout life, Poe experienced catastrophe, and because of this, writing became his creative outlet.

Edgar Allan Poe is a much known author. He is known for writing dark and mysterious stories and poems. “His imaginative storytelling led to literary innovations, earning him the nickname "Father of the Detective Story" (Edgar Allan Poe Biography.com). When writing stories he wanted the readers to have that one emotion or feeling when reading his writing. Poe has very many stories he is known for two of those short stories being; “The Oval Portrait” and “The Cask of Amontillado”.

As the United States became a flourishing nation in the 1800’s, American entertainment such as poetry and short stories began to unfold by up-and-coming writers. Among these artists of text, Edgar Allan Poe is without a doubt an incredibly prominent figure when discussing American literature. A celebrity after his critically acclaimed poem, “The Raven,” he was one of the earliest American authors to craft and perfect the short story. Furthermore, Poe is credited to contribute much to the horror and science-fiction genres, as well as being the inventor of the detective-fiction genre, as his novel The Murders in the Rue Morgue in 1841, predates the most famous character of the genre, Sherlock Holmes, in 1887 (Genesis: 1841). Under a constant struggle to make ends meet, he was among the first American authors to make a living strictly off his pieces of literature, which was not exactly a successful money-making career path (Graves). Which made matters even worse, several of his closest family members, relatives, and relationships all fell to tuberculosis, the final of which he attempted to take care of by himself, even though he was essentially penniless up to his mysterious death in 1849 (Hossick). With great success, however, it is important to analyze how this legendary writer came to be.

The “early pioneer of science fiction” American writer during the 1800s, Edgar Allan Poe, is widely known for casualties, “premature burials, mysterious women who return from the dead” and decaying love (“Poe’s life”). Because of his writing style, Poe was dubbed “Father of the Detective Story” (“Biography.com Editors”). Poe was an unhappy and alone man, whose life was filled with mental illness and death. Poe has earned his reputation by writing his short stories filled with “tales of terror as well as on his haunting lyric poetry” (“Poe’s life”), such as “The Raven” and “Alone.” All the poems Poe has written seem to have at least one, if not more, familiar qualities: they all have a mournful, deserted mood. In his poem,