Monsieur Lecoq (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)

At a glance:

Characters Discussed

Monsieur Lecoq (leh-KOHK), a young Paris detective who finds two people dead and one wounded. He is hampered in his investigation of the crime and never solves it.

Gevrol (zheh-VROHL), an elderly inspector of police who is without imagination. Lecoq’s persistance in trying to solve the crime causes subsequent enmity between them.

Mother Chupin (shew-PA[N]), owner of the wineshop that is the scene of the crime.

Father Absinthe (ahb-SA[N]T), an experienced policeman and a friend of Lecoq.

May, who is arrested at the scene of the murder while holding the gun. He tries to strangle himself while in jail. When allowed to “escape” so that he can be followed, he disappears permanently.

An Accomplice, who is permitted to help May “escape.” He is recaptured, but May disappears in the garden of the duke of Sairmeuse.

Tabaret (tah-bah-RAY), the oracle of the police force, who concludes that May must be the duke of Sairmeuse himself.

M. d’Escorval (dehs-kohr- VAHL), the presiding judge, who breaks his leg rather than try May.

M. Segmuller (ZEEG-mew-lehr), the new judge assigned to the case.

Bibliography:

Mandel, Ernest. Delightful Murder: A Social History of the Crime Story. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1984. Monsieur Lecoq, among other detective and mystery novels, is analyzed as a social commentary. The novel is explored as a statement on the society during which the book was written.

Murch, A. E. The Development of the Detective Novel. New York: Kennikat Press, 1968. Explores the influence Monsieur Lecoq had on the detective novel genre. Contains an analysis of Lecoq as a character.

Symons, Julian. Bloody Murder: From the Detective Story to the Crime Novel. Winchester, Mass.: Faber and Faber, 1972. Monsieur Lecoq is analyzed in this work as an exemplary and influential detective novel. Places Monsieur Lecoq within the tradition and development of the detective and mystery novel.

Thomson, H. Douglas. Masters of Mystery: A Study of the Detective Story. London: Folcroft, 1969. Explores Monsieur Lecoq as an influential work. Contains a detailed analysis of the structure and characterizations in the novel.

Wright, Willard Huntington. “The Great Detective Stories.” In The Art of the Mystery Story: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Howard Haycraft. New York: Biblo and Tannen, 1946. Contains an analysis of Monsieur Lecoq as he develops in the novel. Monsieur Lecoq is compared to other great mystery characters.