Jan 1, 2010
Modern mystery writers owe a debt of gratitude to Edgar Allan Poe. Although he is primarily known for his horror stories, Poe also wrote a series of what he called, ‘‘tales of ratiocination,’’ which helped define the conventions used in Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories, and which helped influence the development of the modern mystery. One of Poe's most popular detective stories is "The Purloined Letter.'' Originally published in The Gift: A Christmas and New Year's Present for 1844, an annual magazine, the story was reproduced in Poe's Tales by Edgar A. Poe the following year. Today, a copy of the story can be found in The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales, published in 1998 by Signet Classic. As with the other stories that feature C. Auguste Dupin, Poe's famous detective protagonist, ‘‘The Purloined Letter’’ emphasizes the use of deductive reasoning—a specific type of logic that examines all factors in a case objectively— to solve mysteries that have stumped others.
In this story, as in other Poe detective stories, among the people stumped are the members of the French police force, who attempt to find a stolen letter which is being used for political blackmail. The police launch a series of scientific and precise, but misguided, investigations by using logical methods that are based solely on past experience and established systems of thought. Their investigative methods reflect the types of rational thought prevalent in the mid-nineteenth century. In the end, the police are unsuccessful in finding the letter because the thief has hidden it in the most unexpected place—right under their noses. Dupin figures this out and recovers the letter, turning the political tables on the thief.
The Prefect's First Visit
"The Purloined Letter'' begins with a description by the unnamed narrator of one evening in the ‘‘autumn of 18— ‘‘at C. Auguste Dupin's home in Paris. Both men are sitting silent, smoking, and the narrator is recalling two mysteries that Dupin previously solved—the murders in the Rue Morgue and the murder of Marie Roget. These two mysteries were in fact centerpieces of earlier detective stories written by Poe.
Monsieur G—, the Prefect of the Parisian police, calls on Dupin once again for his help, the mystery of the purloined, or stolen, letter. At Dupin's suggestion, the three men sit in the dark to discuss the case. The Monsieur begins by saying that the matter is simple, and yet puzzling, at which point Dupin says that maybe it is too simple. This notion is funny and odd to the Monsieur, who dismisses it and continues with his description of how the letter was stolen.
Minister D—, a political rival of the French Queen, stole a letter addressed to the Queen from her royal apartment, in plain sight of the Queen. However, the Queen was unable to stop him for fear of drawing attention to the letter and its contents, which contain extremely private information that could be politically damaging to the royal family. The Minister has been using the letter for months to blackmail the Queen, but she has been unable to protect herself from the blackmail, as she cannot openly try to reclaim the letter.
The Prefect Explains the Police's Methods
The Prefect gives a brief overview of the methods he and his police force have used to try to reclaim the letter without the Minister's knowledge, a task that seems as though it should be easy, as the Minister leaves his home every night. Motivated both by political reasons and by the large reward attached to the finding of the letter, the Prefect and his men have spent every night for three months ransacking the Minister's apartment, but have not procured the letter. The Prefect says that the Minister, being a poet, is by extension somewhat of a fool, so the Minister assumes that the police will be able to determine the whereabouts of the letter. He also explains that the letter has to be somewhere near the Minister, since he needs to be able to use it at a moment's notice. The Prefect has even had undercover policemen act like thugs and mug the Minister twice, under the assumption that he might have it with him, but the Minister has not been discovered carrying the letter.
The narrator suggests that the Prefect give very specific details about how he and his men searched the Minister's apartment, at which point the Prefect launches into a very detailed description. The police force searched the entire building, focusing on the most secret areas they can imagine. They searched for hidden drawers, took apart chairs, and looked under table tops and within table legs. They searched for hollow spots that could hide the letter, and used microscopes and other scientific methods to unearth clues. Furthermore, they looked around the grounds of the Minister's home, examined every page and cover of every book within his library, searched under the carpets and floorboards, and even searched the cellars.
After this exhaustive description, Dupin still tells the Prefect that he needs "to make a thorough research of the premises,’’ but the Prefect assures Dupin that he has done so and that the letter cannot be at the Minister's residence. Dupin asks for a description of the letter, and the Prefect provides the description and takes his leave.
The Prefect's Second Visit
One month later, the Prefect returns to visit Dupin, and says that he has examined the Minister's apartment once again, but once again, has found nothing. Dupin asks about the reward, and the Prefect says that it has been doubled, and that he will give fifty thousand francs to anybody who can obtain it. At this point, Dupin has the Prefect make out the check, at which point Dupin produces the letter. The astounded Prefect examines it to make sure it is the... » Complete The Purloined Letter Summary
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