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Meghan Shoop
Mrs. Morrell
Honors English III
23 April 2015
The True Father of Detective Novels
Edgar Allan Poe is regarded as one of the greatest writers in American history. He was
born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts and died on October 7, 1849 at the age of 40
in Baltimore, Maryland. Poe lived a tough life plagued with financial troubles , as well as other
issues like alcoholism and the death of his wife. All of these issues led him to have quite a dark
outlook on life which is reflected in his writings. Poe wrote during the Romantic era and was part
of the Gothic movement of that time. He wrote mostly dark psychological thrillers and mysteries
stories; however, his mystery stories evolved into something much more intricate. Edgar Allan
Poe was truly a man ahead of his time, credited with the creation of the detective story because
he developed the modern detective, built the overarching framework of the story, invented
elements commonly used in modern detective plots, and inspired future detective writers.
Although Poe only wrote three detective novels, he was able to beautifully
develop the character of the modern detective. The main aspect of a detective is that he has
superior intellect and outstanding observation skills. Poes main character of his trilogy, C.
Auguste Dupin, embodies this aspect is as he is able to deduce what his companion is thinking
by just observing his mannerisms and clothes (Poe, The Murders 11). Furthermore, Dupin is
quite eccentric and appears strange to most people including the police. He does not have many
friends because people do not understand him. This sets up the tradition of the eccentric detective
that does not have many friends, except for his close companion (Poe, The Murders 7). Another
facet of the detective that makes him unique is that he wants to solve the case for his own

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amusement instead of financial gain. The only reason why Dupin tries to solve the case in The
Murders in Rue Morgue is because he has nothing else to do and wants to satisfy his vast
intellect (Poe, The Murders 24). Poe also is the first author to introduce the idea of the armchair
detective. The armchair detective is able to solve a crime without even going to the murder scene
and sometimes not even leaving his chair. For example, in The Mystery of Marie Roget, Dupin is
able to solve the crime of the locked room murder without leaving his flat, and he accomplishes
this feat by just reading various newspaper articles. He is able to piece together the crime and
who the criminal is without leaving his chair (Poe, The Mystery 11). Lastly, the second most
common aspect to a detective is that he provides the solution and the explanation of the crime at
the end of the novel. Dupin does this at the end of all of the short stories, this is a device that Poe
uses so the reader can follow along and try to solve the crime herself (Poe, The Murders 42). Poe
created all of these unique characteristics in just three short stories, and he also does this with the
overarching framework of the story.
Poe was able to create the framework of the modern detective story in just three short
stories. Poes The Mystery of Marie Roget is a fictional story that is actually based on a real
unsolved crime. Poe took the murder out of a newspaper that he read and kept almost all of the
details the same, except some of the names (Poe, The Mystery 8). An example of this in modern
day culture is the popular show, Law and Order, which also takes stories from the news and just
changes some of the details of the actual crime. Additionally, Poe created the favored concept of
the detective having a sidekick or best friend that helps him solve the crimes. The narrator of all
three of Poes detective stories is Dupins best friend and roommate. He is Dupins ever present
companion and helps him on all of his cases (Poe, The Murders 7). Moreover, a common set up
in detective fiction is that the police are not extremely competent, thus they need help from the

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amateur detective. Dupin does not believe that the police are able to solve complex crimes and
that they need his help (Poe, The Murders 24). Poe beautifully sets up the common framework
for detective fiction and establishes many common elements that are key in detective stories.
Edgar Allan Poe invented the most commonly used elements in detective stories in not
only his Dupins stories, but also his mystery stories. For example, almost every detective series
at some point has the perfect locked room murder. In The Murders in the Rue Morgue, Dupin
comes across a case where two murdered woman are found in a hotel room that is locked from
the inside. Dupin correctly deduces that it was indeed an orangutan who murders the two women
(Poe, The Murders 15). The locked room mystery is an extremely popular theme because there
are hundreds of ways that the room could have been locked on the inside. Poe laid the
groundwork for such a versatile element that it is rare nowadays for a detective series whether it
be a television show or a book series that does not have a locked room mystery. An example of
one of Poes stories that introduces a common element, but is not a detective story is The Gold
Bug. In this story, the protagonist has to find a treasure by solving complicated a cipher to find
the treasure. (Poe, Gold Bug 17). Poe's inclusion of the cipher was so popular and interested
several people that ciphers became more and more common not only in detective stories, but also
in other stories. People were enamored with solving the ciphers themselves, making them believe
that they were actually in the story. Moreover, in The Purloined Letter, Poe introduces the idea
of a detective with an enemy of equal intelligence to him. Dupin has to get into the mind of the
criminal to find out where he hid an incriminating letter in a battle of intelligence (Poe,
Purloined Letter 24). Dupin spends several restless days researching the criminal in order for
him to be in the criminal's mind. He becomes obsessed with finding the letter, another attribute
that makes the detective isolated. Ultimately, Dupin is able to find the letter because he deduces

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that the letter is hidden in the one place where nobody would expect, in plain sight. This ties into
one last common theme which is an object hidden in plain sight that only the detective is able to
see because of his superior observation skills (Poe, Purloined Letter 26). Two examples of this in
modern day culture are the television shows Psych and Monk which are both about two private
detectives who help the police solve difficult cases. The main characters of their respective
shows primarily solve crimes by seeing things that are in plain sight that nobody else can see.
Poes introduction of certain elements in his stories influenced many future writers years to
come.
Poes fantastic literary works about Dupin inspired and continues to inspire many
writers. Arthur Conan Doyle, considered to be the best detective writer of all time for his stories
about the infamous Sherlock Holmes, says in one of his prefaces that Poe is indeed the father of
modern detective stories. He goes on to say that Poe covered and laid the groundwork for all
future detective stories. Doyle says that there is almost nothing new for a detective writer to
write because Poe has already written about it (Doyle vi). Poes influence on Doyle, especially, is
evident in his Sherlock Holmes stories. There are many similarities between Dupin and Holmes,
the protagonist, that reflects the influence that Poe had on Doyle. Doyle admired Poe and
everything that he accomplished and through Doyle's own writings passed on Poe's tradition of
the detective story. One similarity between Dupin and Holmes is that they are both extremely
intelligent amateur detectives that use their deductive skills to solve murders and other heinous
crimes. (Doyle, Study in Scarlet 12). Another similarity that the two detectives have in common
is that both of them retreat to their dark sides when they are engulfed in a case. Dupin just
isolates himself from everywhere else, but Holmes takes it to an even greater degree. Holmes
drowns himself in drugs when he goes to his dark side (Doyle, Study in Scarlet 13). The

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detectives having a dark side is a clever characteristic because both Doyle and Poe believed that
the detective should not be the focus of the story, the crime should be the focus. The detectives'
dark sides is the only characteristic that these two detectives have that actually establishes them
as characters. The reader realizes that the detectives are normal people too who become
immersed in their work, but they do not pay all of their attention to the detectives. Doyle is not
the only author that was influenced by Poes writings. Agatha Christies Poirot also has several
similarities with both Dupin and Sherlock. They are all two-dimensional characters because they
only have one or two defining characteristics. Whether it be that they have a dark side or
extremely eccentric in the case of Poirot, the main attention of the story is the crime and the
process of solving the crime (Christie). Furthermore, Dupin, Holmes, and Poirot all have faithful
sidekicks who are their best friends and help them solve the cases (Christie). Dupin has his
unnamed companion that follows him in his travels, Holmes has Watson, his ever present doctor
friend, and Poirot has Arthur Hastings. All of these characters follow the detectives on their
adventures and help them solve crimes. All three of the sidekicks narrate most of the stories,thus
providing a different perspective because they are not the detectives themselves. Although many
writers are influenced by Poe like Christie, Doyle goes one step further and even has Holmes
allude to Dupin and Poe in one of the stories. Watson says, 'You remind me of Edgar Allan
Poes Dupin. I had no idea that such individuals exist outside of stories' (Doyle, Study in
Scarlet 27). Doyle has such respect for Poe and his character, Dupin, that he includes him in his
first story. This is further evidence of the truly profound effect that Poe had on Doyle's writings.
Without Poe's breakthrough detective trilogy, there would not be the vast amounts of detective
fiction that is available today. Additionally, there are also striking similarities between some of
Doyles works and Poes stories. For example Two stories that have several similarities

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between them are The Purloined Letter and A Scandal in Bohemia. The main premise of both
stories are extremely similar because they both deal with the theft of a compromising document
and a powerful politician who wants that document to be found (Doyle, Scandal in Bohemia 22).
These two stories are so strikingly similar that it seems that Doyle's story is just a different and
simpler version of Poe's story. Doyle obviously gained inspiration from Poe's works because
Dupin and Holmes use disguises to gain more information about the blackmailers. Dupin wears
green spectacles so he can snoop around the criminals apartment undetected (Poe, Purloined
Letter 25). Holmes dresses up as a groom to sneak into Irene Adlers apartment and try to find
her safe (Doyle, Scandal in Bohemia 27). It is no coincidence that both detectives wore disguises
to obtain what they needed. The Holmes' disguise is obviously a homepage to Poe's amazing
works. All of these parallels between stories demonstrates the influence that Poe has had on
detective writers.
Edgar Allan Poe was an influential writer who created the modern detective story by
developing the detective, building the framework of the plot, inventing common elements in the
story, and inspiring future detective writers. Poe artistically created the modern detective in his
three short Dupin stories. Furthermore, Poes short stories developed the overarching framework
of the detective story. In addition to his detective stories, Poe also invented the most commonly
used elements in his mystery stories. Poes influential Dupin stories inspired and continue to
inspire detective writers. When I first started researching, I was skeptical as to whether or not
Poe really did invent the modern detective fiction because I had never thought of Poe as a
detective writer. Surprisingly, through my research I discovered that before Poe there really were
no detective stories. Poe was the first writer to have a full fledged detective story. I do feel like
my research answered my questions about Poe because I truly saw the influence that Poe had on

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all future detective stories, especially Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Overall, Poe truly was the father
of modern detective fiction.

Works Cited
Christie, Agatha. The Mysterious Affair at Styles: Hercule Poirot's First Case. Norwood,
Australia: DeodanD, 2002. Print.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. Preface. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: D. Appleton, 1902.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. A Scandal in Bohemia. Np.: Solis, 2012. EPUB file.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. A Study in Scarlet. Np.: Apple, 1930. EPUB file.

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Edgar Allan. The Gold Bug. Np.: Charles River Editors, 2012. EPUB file.
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Murders in the Rue Morgue. Np.: B&R Samizdat Express, 2011. EPUB
file.
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Mystery of Marie Roget. Np.: Charles River Editors, 2012. EPUB file.
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Purloined Letter. Np.: United Holdings Group, 2011. EPUB file.