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How Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Ratiocination Pioneered the Detective Story

In this essay on the detective story genre, the student goes back to its origins: "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" by Edgar Allan Poe. The student explains how Poe laid the groundwork for those who came after, including Arthur Conan Doyle and Dorothy L. Sayers, innovating elements like the locked room mystery, early suspicion falling on an innocent person, and an unexpected solution that is actually available to the readers in the details of the text.
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This essay received an A by one of Kibin's paper graders. Click here to see what was done well and what needs improvement.

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This essay received an A by one of Kibin's paper graders. Click here to see what was done well and what needs improvement.

More essays like this:

detective stories
Not sure what I'd do without @Kibin
- Alfredo Alvarez, student @ Miami University
Exactly what I needed.
- Jenna Kraig, student @ UCLA
Wow. Most helpful essay resource ever!
- Chris Stochs, student @ UC Berkeley

View other essays like this one:

Bridget's feedback:

"This is a very interesting essay, and you demonstrate clear familiarity with the genre elements and lineage; this establishes ethos, with the reader feeling they are in good hands as they follow the discussion. I am not entirely convinced the plot of "Murders" needs to be given at such length, as you do in the latter half of the essay; the paragraph starting with "Not long after this, the announcement..." could be boiled down to a list of the features of the crime, with the purpose of showing the reader that Poe plays fair. Similar work could be done to any of those "Murders"-focused paragraphs for a more efficient read.

The overall discussion and analysis is very strong, but one related element isn't yet down on the page in a persuasive manner: references to Poe's madness or disturbed nature should be backed up by biographical discussion, not only textual analysis and extrapolation. Further, his detective stories suggest an ultimate reason and logic to the world, thanks to M. Dupin, so I wonder how you can put that into conversation with a (sourced and evidence-based) discussion of Poe's personality.

Your writing is dynamic and engages the reader; there are, however, frequent opportunities to tighten up syntax and assert more control over the style and mechanics. For example, consider these revision ideas for the second sentence of the first paragraph: "It distinguishes itself from other forms of fiction by being a puzzle." or "The fact that it is a puzzle distinguishes it from other forms of fiction.""

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