Your Daily Poe (Or Edgar Allan If You're Nasty)

As it's officially October (BOO!), I will on every day be reading one short story written by the Master of the Macabre himself, and briefly commenting on it. Enjoy!

Day 19: The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Thoughts: This started out in a slower, more restrained pace full of a seeming smugness that alerts the reader into thinking the narrator is an unreliable one. But once Dupin is introduced into the story the narrator becomes not much more than a willing spectator like the rest of us. On one hand the story is fascinating in its unraveling of the murders done so brilliantly so as to lead to it rightful solution; on the other hand, it's kind of unfair that the answer is [SPOILER ALERT! WARNING, SPOILER ALERT!!] an orangutan, as it's not reasonable for a reader - always trying to solve the mystery himself as he reads, obviously - to even imagine such a scenario. This may be considered to be in bad faith on the author's part - why not suddenly point to aliens? Ghosts? But once the readers' eye-rolling miffness (is that a word?) has ebbed, one can only admire the thorough tapestry Poe has woven. A BIT of a reach in reality for what's considered to be the first modern detective story, but extremely well done, and Dupin's seemingly endless monologues do a great job in holding the reader's attention and wonder.

Memorable Line: "Truth is not always in a well. In fact, as regards the more important knowledge, I do believe that she is invariably superficial. The depth lies in the valleys where we seek her, and not upon the mountain-tops where she is found."

Score from 1-10: 9