The Purloined Letter | Critical Discussion
Dupin was one of literature’s first detectives, before the term detective came into common usage. Poe’s detective stories differ from many modern mysteries in that the story does not really invite the reader to try to solve the case alongside the literary sleuth. In "The Purloined Letter" Poe’s narrator recounts the story in a way which unfolds the mystery then elaborates the solution and the way it is reached. Dupin gives both the means by which he recovered the letter and the scientific reasons for his success where the police have failed. From earlier stories we know...
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