Edgar Allan Poe's "Invention" of Detective Fiction. Classification of the "Dupin Stories" in the History of the Detective Story as a Genre

Term Paper , 2018 , 12 Pages , Grade: 1,7

English Language and Literature Studies - Literature

This seminar paper investigates the role of Poe in the history of the detective story as a genre. It tries to find out if Poe really is the inventor of detective fiction or if there had been any detective stories prior to his Dupin works. As a first step, this paper introduces to the characteristics of a typical detective story. It also informs about the current state of research about the origins of detective fiction and appoints compositions that are discussed in scientific productions to be ancestors of the detective genre.

The last focus on this thesis is the adaption of the characteristics of a typical detective story to easily check if Poe’s "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a real detective story. At the end of this seminar paper, the following questions should be answered: Has nobody ever written a detective story before or are there preforms that are related to detective stories? Is Edgar Allan Poe really the inventor of detective fiction?

Edgar Allan Poe was one of the most famous American authors, who is especially famous for his over seventy short stories. He was a master of suspense and of the macabre and succeeded in many different types of literature such as horror, poetry, criticism, mystery, tales and sketches. Furthermore, many claim him to be the father of the detective story.

Table of Contents

1 . Introduction

2 . Detective Fiction
2.1 What is Detective Fiction?
2.2 Origins of Detective Fiction/ Early Ancestors of the Genre

3 . Edgar Allan Poe
3.1 The Murders in the Rue Morgue – Which Typical Elements of Detective Fiction are already Present in Poe’s Dupin Stories?
3.2 What did Poe himself Say about his Detective Stories?

4 . C onclusion: Poe as the Undisputed Father of the Detective Story

5 . Bibliography

• College: University of Wuppertal
• Course: Seminar Literaturwissenschaft "Edgar Allan Poe"
• Grade: 1,7
• Author: Nicole H. (Author)
• Publication Year: 2018
• Pages: 12
• Catalog Number: V471265
• ISBN (eBook): 9783668961401
• ISBN (Book): 9783668961418
• Language: English
• Tags: edgar, story, history, stories, dupin, classification, fiction, detective, invention, allan, genre