Contrary to popular belief, Allan was not Poe’s middle name. He was born in Boston as Edgar Poe, no middle name, to David and Eliza Poe in 1809. David Poe abandoned his family when Edgar was 1 year old, and Eliza Poe died the next year. Edgar was taken in by John and Frances Allan of Virginia, who fostered him throughout his childhood. [1]
Published on 14 April 1841, Edgar Allan Poe‘s short story The Murders in the Rue Morgue is widely regarded as one of the most influential works of detective fiction ever written.
The Murders in the Rue Morgue set the template for future works in the genre. It featured all the key elements we expect to find: a baffling crime, a brilliant detective, a methodical investigation, and a surprising resolution. Poe’s innovative inclusion of deductive reasoning and forensic science was groundbreaking, and this story was one of the first works of fiction to incorporate techniques such as autopsies, blood spatter analysis and crime scene investigation into the narrative.
Poe’s use of these elements created a formula that would be used in countless detective stories to come and this approach to crime solving paved the way for future writers to incorporate scientific investigation into their stories.
The Murders in the Rue Morgue follows the investigation of a brutal double murder in Paris and introduces readers to the fictional detective. Poe’s protagonist, C. Auguste Dupin, was a brilliant amateur detective who used his intellect and analytical skills to solve the crime. Dupin’s character was the precursor to many of the great fictional detectives who followed, including Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, and many others. These characters shared Dupin’s traits of intelligence, deductive reasoning, and attention to detail, making them instantly recognizable to readers and establishing a template for future writers.
By establishing the character archetype of the brilliant detective, incorporating scientific investigation into his narrative, and experimenting with language and style, Poe created a masterpiece that continues to inspire and influence writers to this day.