Ideas for Group Discussions
It is challenging to view "The Murders of the Rue Morgue" with fresh perspective due to its widespread readership and numerous adaptations. Even individuals who haven't read the story or watched a film version are likely familiar with certain elements, such as the ape being the murderer, the Parisian setting, or the presence of a brilliant detective. A good starting point might be to dispel some common misconceptions about the story.
Many people mistakenly believe that the killer was a gorilla or that Dupin was a police detective. Beyond clarifying these details, it's important to highlight that Poe was creating many of the conventions seen in the story. He wasn't writing within an established literary genre—the detective story—because it didn't exist yet. This understanding can lead to engaging discussions on how Poe crafted this early detective tale by adhering to good storytelling principles. Ultimately, this is an enjoyable work to discuss, and most readers will be glad they explored it.
1. Examine the opening pages closely and discuss the nature of the "analytical" faculty.
2. Analyze the personalities of Dupin and his companion. How are they similar? How do they differ? Is Dupin's personality well-suited for his amateur detective role?
3. Discuss the method by which Dupin seems to read his companion's mind during their walk through the streets of Paris.
4. Discuss the aspects of the crime, as reported in the newspapers, that puzzle the police. Which details most confuse the police and most intrigue Dupin?
5. What is the difference between the methods used by the Paris police to solve a crime and the methods used by Dupin?
6. Discuss how Dupin solves the crime by reconstructing the events as he believes they "must" have occurred.
7. Why does Poe choose to use an animal as the murderer in the story instead of a human being?
8. Since this story is considered the first detective story from which all subsequent detective stories derive, discuss some of the conventions, techniques, and devices introduced here that appear in later detective stories.
9. Poe believes that all good stories are like detective stories, where the reader acts as a detective, deciphering clues and solving the mystery. Compare the role of a reader in a story to that of a detective as defined by Poe.
10. In another Poe detective story, "The Purloined Letter," Dupin states that a successful criminal, as well as a good detective, should combine the mental qualities of a poet and a mathematician. How does Dupin embody these qualities in "Murders in the Rue Morgue"?
11. Examine how the narrative is delivered, particularly noting the absence of significant action. Much of the story consists of either reiterations of newspaper articles or Dupin's monologue explaining his crime-solving process.
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