THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE: The Dupin Stories by Edgar Allan Poe

featuring Sarah E. Boyd, Teaching Assistant Professor of English and Comparative Literature

The birth of detective fiction as a genre

—Edgar Allan Poe introduced to literature the concept of applying reason to solving crime, inspiring the creation of countless literary sleuths, among them Sherlock Holmes.—Modern Library Classics

—“The Murders in the Rue Morgue” is almost a complete manual of detective theory and practice.—Dorothy L. Sayers

—Poe’s formula appealed in the nineteenth century because detective stories promised that reasoning could hold the answer to every question. At the same time, with spooky overtones, they appealed to nineteenth century readers’ preoccupations with the occult.—Smithsonian Magazine

—Urban crime was an area of acute interest in the nineteenth century in America and Europe because the public feared that it was rampant and out of the control of the police. To respond to this concern, Poe demonstrates increasingly complex aspects of ratiocination in each of his three Auguste C. Dupin detective-based tales.—The Poe Museum

—Edgar Allan Poe is a foundational figure of American literary studies across the educational sphere and instrumental in the development of 19th-century criminology that has even made its way onto movie and television screens.—ART STORIA Literary Classics

Meeting Date: Wednesday, April 19

Cost: $30, includes a copy of the book shipped to your home

This is a hybrid program held at Flyleaf Books. A very limited number of virtual seats are available on a first come, first served basis.

Register online  or call 919.962.1544