The Purloined Letter Questions and Answers
The Purloined Letter
Is "The Purloined Letter" a successful detective story? Why or why not?
Poe can actually set the standard of success for detective stories, considering that he wrote the prototype to all literature works of this genre, in the first place. Edgar Allan Poe's "The Murders...
The Purloined Letter
How truthful is the narrator in "The Purloined Letter"? At what moments in the story might he seem less than...
The narrator in the story is quite truthful and reliable as a narrator. In fact, he is also good at eliciting information from the Prefect to get the full picture of what has occurred before the...
The Purloined Letter
Why is "The Purloined Letter" called "a tale of ratiocination"?
Although the word "ratiocination" does not appear in "The Purloined Letter," Poe used it in other places to describe the mixture of rational, scientific inquiry and understanding of...
The Purloined Letter
What are the similarities between Dupin and Minister D in Poe's "The Purloined Letter"?
Like Dupin, Minister D, who steals the Queen's compromising letter, is a daring and "ingenious" person who is able to put himself in other people's shoes, figure out how they think, and therefore...
The Purloined Letter
Discuss what role imagination plays in "The Purloined Letter." At what point do characters appear to be using (or...
In the opening of the story, the narrator and Dupin the detective sit in silence for an hour; during this time, the narrator has been "mentally discussing certain topics which had formed matter for...
The Purloined Letter
What are the prefect's strengths and weaknesses as a detective in "The Purloined Letter"?
You have asked a question about one of the earliest detective stories, upon which Sir Arthur Conan Doyle based his famous detective Sherlock Holmes. One of the key ingredients in this genre is the...
The Purloined Letter
Does "The Purloined Letter" really seem to be recommending the approach of a combined poet and mathematician?
In "The Purloined Letter," Dupin is strongly asserting that to find the letter, the detective must think both like a poet and a mathematician. Dupin believes there is no other way to find the...
The Purloined Letter
Why does everyone in "The Purloined Letter" seem so uninterested in what the letter actually contains? Is there any...
As we're not told explicitly why everyone is uninterested in (or at least not mentioning) the contents of the letter, we need to use context clues to try to understand what is going on. These clues...
The Purloined Letter
In "The Purloined Letter", explain how Poe characterizes Monsieur G of police.
It is clear that Poe is none to complimentary regarding Monsieur G. of the French Police. From the start there are somewhat dismissive remarks made about his limitations. For example, consider how...
The Purloined Letter
What is the main resolution in "The Purloined Letter" by Edgar Allan Poe?
The main resolution of the story is Dupin's realization that the letter is "hiding in plain sight" in D.'s rooms and the trick he plays on D. to take the letter and replace it with a facsimile....
The Purloined Letter
In "The Purloined Letter," why does Dupin replace the real letter with a facsimile?
The real question should not be "Why does Dupin replace the real letter with a facsimile?" but "Why does Edgar Allan Poe have his character Dupin replace the real letter with a facsimile?" Dupin...
The Purloined Letter
What is the conflict in The Purloined Letter? What is the problem?
Any story must be dramatic in order to be interesting. The drama in a short story is almost always based on a single major conflict (although there might be minor conflicts that are incidental or...
The Purloined Letter
What are some examples of figurative language in “The Purloined Letter” by Edgar Allan Poe?
Edgar Allan Poe's story “The Purloined Letter” is especially heavy in symbolism and irony but also contains examples of similes and metaphors. Let's look at each of these. Symbolism is prominent in...
The Purloined Letter
What practical advice does the story seem to offer?
As its name suggests, Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Purloined Letter” tells the story of a letter—one that has been stolen from the royal apartments. Although the police know that it was stolen by...
The Purloined Letter
Explain what elements of the story "The Purloined Letter" seem similar to Poe's usual murder-and-mayhem style? Can we...
Edgar Allan Poe's 1844 story "The Purloined Letter" is one of three of his tales to feature the detective C. Auguste Dupin. While Poe is best-known for stories that belong to the horror genre, this...
The Purloined Letter
What is the tone of Poe's "The Purloined Letter"?
The short story "The Purloined Letter" by Edgar Allan Poe features C. Auguste Dupin, who also appears in other mystery stories by Poe. Although he is not a professional detective, he enjoys using...
The Purloined Letter
Who is Dupin in "The Purloined Letter"?
Auguste Dupin is the detective and main character in this mystery story. He born to wealth but, at this point, has lost his money. Dupin has a genius for solving mysteries. This is based on his...
The Purloined Letter
Who is Dupin?
Edgar Allan Poe introduced the character Auguste Dupin in his earlier detective story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." In that story the narrator describes Dupin at great length and gives examples...
The Purloined Letter
Why does Poe have the Prefect leave before Dupin begins his explanation to the narrator concerning the solving of the...
Poe's main reason for having the Prefect leave before Dupin explains how he recovered the missing letter must have been to emphasize that the problem and the solution are Dupin's and that he is the...
The Purloined Letter
What are 2 examples of direct observer narrator from The Purloined Letter, Bartleby the Scrivener, and Captain Shure...
In Poe's classic detective story "The Purloined Letter," an unnamed narrator is used mainly as a plot device to move the story along and to serve as a foil for Dupin and as proxy (stand in) for the...
The Purloined Letter
Give the description of the letter as described by Germont.
"The Purloined Letter" is one of three detective stories by Edgar Allen Poe, written after "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," considered the first modern detective story, and "The Mystery Of Marie...
The Purloined Letter
What is the difference between the policemen's and Dupin's methods of investigation?
In "The Purloined Letter," there is a striking difference in how the prefect of the Persian police handles the missing letter compared to Dupin. The focus of the police department is a desperate...
The Purloined Letter
How might Dupin be a double for Poe himself?
On the surface, the detective C. Auguste Dupin seems very different from Edgar Allan Poe. Dupin is French and lives in Paris; Poe was American and lived in Richmond and Baltimore. A side-by-side...
The Purloined Letter
Can you draw a plot map for The Purloined Letter?
By plot map, I assume you mean a plot sequence chart. I’m not sure that e-notes yet has the capabilities of using graphics in questions. Your chart, however, should have: exposition which are...
The Purloined Letter
Are "The Purloined Letter" and "Bartleby the Scrivener" written with a third person omniscient narrator?
Edgar Allen Poe's "The Purloined Letter" uses a first person narrator who, by definition, participates in the story and only knows his own motives, thoughts, perceptions, feelings, and emotions:...
The Purloined Letter
What does the scarlet handkerchief have on it in “The Mystery of Marie Roget”?
If you’ve read Poe’s famous short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” you might be familiar with Dupin. He’s the detective who figures out who killed a mom and her daughter. In the “The Mystery...
The Purloined Letter
What is the plot of "The Purloined Letter" in the form of a plot diagram?
I can give you a general idea of what the plot diagram would look like. If you need more specific details, use the story to fill them in. eNotes also provides a thorough summary of the story. The...
The Purloined Letter
In "The Purloined Letter" by Edgar Allan Poe, do the differences in his detection make for a more intriguing plot?...
"The Purloined Letter" is not as intriguing as Poe's other detective story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." The problem with the story about the stolen letter is that it requires a great deal of...
The Purloined Letter
Explain about the theories concerning the elusiveness of the obvious, which are advanced by Dupin, and explain about...
Dupin is not telling Prefect G- that the answer to a problem is always obvious. What he is saying is that people often make problems more complicated than they actually are. The truth is often very...
The Purloined Letter
What events inspired Poe to write the Purloined Letter?
"The Purloined Letter" is the last of three stories written about the detective character Dupin. To determine the possible inspiration for this story, we must go back to the first of the three...
The Purloined Letter
In the short story "The Purloined Letter," what personal battle with a widely held belief is Poe possibly fighting in...
Edgar Allan Poe was an early and influential contributor to the genre known as the American Gothic. It is precisely due to those conventions common to the genre which lead to your question...
The Purloined Letter
What is the nature of the leverage that the minister has gained over the "illustrious personage" in "The Purloined...
In Edgar Allan Poe's story “The Purloined Letter,” a certain “illustrious personage” is in a particularly annoying and potentially disastrous predicament. This lady, apparently a member of the...
The Purloined Letter
What are your emotions during this story? How does it make you feel? What are your emotions during this story? How...
Considering that it was Poe's objective to "entertain" his reader, but most importantly, to work toward a preconceived "effect," and then use words and symbols and language to help the reader reach...
The Purloined Letter
What is the single effect in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Purloined Letter?"
The key effect in Poe’s “The Purloined Letter” is ratiocination, or reasoning. In fact, on July 2, 1844, Poe wrote to the poet James Russell Lowell and said that “The Purloined Letter” was...