Why tracking down one of the first detective stories takes you to Paris 🔍
Edgar Allan Poe, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue"
A terrible crime is attracting the attention of nineteeth-century Paris: the double murder of Madame L'Espanaye and her daughter. Intriguingly, the violence seems to have taken place behind a locked door, with no signs of entrance or of exit. Despite what seems like an impossible crime, the detective C August Dupin spies an important clue while reading through the following written testimonies appearing in the newspaper.
Now read on:
Henri Duval, a neighbor, and by trade a silver-smith, deposes that he was one of the party who first entered the house. Corroborates the testimony of Musèt in general. As soon as they forced an entrance, they reclosed the door, to keep out the crowd, which collected very fast, notwithstanding the lateness of the hour. The shrill voice, this witness thinks, was that of an Italian. Was certain it was not French. Could not be sure that it was a man’s voice. It might have been a woman’s. Was not acquainted with the Italian language. Could not distinguish the words, but was convinced by the intonation that the speaker was an Italian. Knew Madame L and her daughter. Had conversed with both frequently. Was sure that the shrill voice was not that of either of the deceased.
——Odenheimer, restaurateur. This witness volunteered his testimony. Not speaking French, was examined through an interpreter. Is a native of Amsterdam. Was passing the house at the time of the shrieks. They lasted for several minutes—probably ten. They were long and loud—very awful and distressing. Was one of those who entered the building. Corroborated the previous evidence in every respect but one. Was sure that the shrill voice was that of a man—of a Frenchman. Could not distinguish the words uttered. They were loud and quick—unequal—spoken apparently in fear as well as in anger. The voice was harsh—not so much shrill as harsh. Could not call it a shrill voice. The gruff voice said repeatedly ‘sacré,’ ‘diable,’ and once ‘mon Dieu.’
Jules Mignaud, banker, of the firm of Mignaud et Fils, Rue Deloraine. Is the elder Mignaud. Madame L’Espanaye had some property. Had opened an account with his banking house in the spring of the year—(eight years previously). Made frequent deposits in small sums. Had checked for nothing until the third day before her death, when she took out in person the sum of 4000 francs. This sum was paid in gold, and a clerk went home with the money.
Adolphe Le Bon, clerk to Mignaud et Fils, deposes that on the day in question, about noon, he accompanied Madame L’Espanaye to her residence with the 4000 francs, put up in two bags. Upon the door being opened, Mademoiselle L appeared and took from his hands one of the bags, while the old lady relieved him of the other. He then bowed and departed. Did not see any person in the street at the time. It is a by-street—very lonely.
William Bird, tailor deposes that he was one of the party who entered the house. Is an Englishman. Has lived in Paris two years. Was one of the first to ascend the stairs. Heard the voices in contention. The gruff voice was that of a Frenchman. Could make out several words, but cannot now remember all. Heard distinctly ‘sacré’ and ‘mon Dieu.’ There was a sound at the moment as if of several persons struggling—a scraping and scuffling sound. The shrill voice was very loud—louder than the gruff one. Is sure that it was not the voice of an Englishman. Appeared to be that of a German. Might have been a woman’s voice. Does not understand German.
Four of the above-named witnesses, being recalled, deposed that the door of the chamber in which was found the body of Mademoiselle L was locked on the inside when the party reached it. Every thing was perfectly silent—no groans or noises of any kind. Upon forcing the door no person was seen.
What we love about this passage...
Poe brilliantly lays out what seem like disparate testimonies. Yet, on closer inspection, there runs through these depositions one major issue: nobody can agree on the language of the "shrill voice" that they heard. It is referred to variously as Spanish, Italian, French, German, and later, Russian!
This is one of a number of key clues for investigator Dupin, who reasons from this disagreement that none of the witnesses have correctly identified the language on the other side of the door. From here, he further reasons that, given the nationalities of the witnesses, the language is unlikely to be a European one, and eventually (in connection with a number of other clues), he concludes that the language is not even a human one. Spoiler alert: it's an escaped orangutang, which has managed to scale the building!
Poe's writing is slightly comical, and he gives us the impression that something impossible is afoot. But at the end, he shows that even an outlandish situation can have a (somewhat) logical cause without the need for supernatural explanations.
About the author
Despite his relatively short and turbulent life, Edgar Allan Poe (1808-1849) was a major figure in American and European literature. He wrote in a number of genres, and his best-known works include the narrative poem "The Raven" (1845); gothic stories such as "The Tell-Tale Heart" (1843) and "The Cask of Amontillado" (1846); as well as the other tales featuring C Auguste Dupin: "The Mystery of Marie Rogêt" (1842) and "The Purloined Letter" (1844).
To read alongside...
Poe's influence is hard to overstate. His invention of modern detective fiction and development of the gothic influenced a diverse set of writers from across the world.
In the nineteenth-century, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle took after Poe's Dupin in the figure of Sherlock Holmes, and perhaps so did Charles Dickens in his final novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood (though the raven from Poe's poem was inspired by Dickens's Barnaby Rudge).
In twentieth-century Britain, the detective novel was perfected by Agatha Christie. In America, a diverse set of authors continued to draw on Poe and his innovations, including Shirley Jackson, Raymond Chandler, Chester Himes, and Walter Mosley.
And just over one hundred years later after "Murders in the Rue Morgue," the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges one-upped Poe with his brilliant short story "Death and the Compass." In that story, the Dupin-like investigator similarly follows the clues left behind by a murderer, which lead him to predict the location of a upcoming crime. Yet, the murderer knows that the gifted detective will do just that, and so in a brilliant reversal, the investigator himself is caught in the trap and made the victim.
Finally, Poe's influence goes beyond the literary. Philosophical and metaphysical aspects of Poe's Dupin stories have attracted thinkers of all stripes. The twentieth-century psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan used one of the tales to illustrate his theory of the psyche -- a move which resulted in a critical response from the philosopher Jacques Derrida, who accused him of reading it incorrectly.
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