THE FATHER OF THE MODERN DETECTIVE STORY: NOT CONAN DOYLE????
Surprise everyone - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is not the architect of the modern detective story. So who is? None other than that master of the macabre, Edgar Allen Poe, whose "Tell Tale Heart" we can still hear beating under the floorboards. That's right, Poe and his brilliant detective Auguste Dupin made their debut in "Murders in the Rue Morgue" in 1841, a full forty six years before Sherlock arrived on the scene. Reading "Murders in the Rue Morgue" you can see the seeds of that common mystery literary convention - the brilliant detective whose powers of observation are so great he sees what no one else notices and whose brilliance is faithfully recorded by his ordinary companion. Poe only wrote a few detective stories and was actually rather annoyed that the public was so enchanted with them. He felt his other works were much more important. Popular at the time they certainly have not enjoyed the notoriety of Holmes or Poirot. Still it is fascinating to see the germs of those great detectives in "Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "The Mystery of Marie Roget. Join us for a discussion of these two works and the author Thursday January 8th at 5:30pm. All are welcome.
