Monday, March 17, 2008
More Dead Women
I just had a couple of question about "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." I was wondering if anyone else thought that the victims could have easily been changed to the male gender? This was actually the first time I had ever read this tale, and I found it quite different from those that we have read before in class with women dying. I thought it strange that the women weren't really described as much as I would have liked, or I guess as much as I thought they would be. I think my expectations were more along the lines of a sickly beautiful woman dying. It was refreshing not to have to read another of those and see Poe venture out into a detective scene and not spend to much of his energy on the description of the women that were murdered. I liked that they were described in a fashion that left room for the reader to picture what happened (another of Poe's wonderful sensationalist readings). I think that because Poe didn't spend ample time describing how beautiful and lovely the women were they could have easily been men in this case. I think it would have been harder to accept that a monkey killed two men in the apartment but I think you catch my drift. Another thing I liked about this tale is that it is not really even about the murders, its about how they are solved and the relationship between the narrator and Dupin. It kind of reminded me of modern day CSI shows (which I am guilty of watching) where the story is not truly about the person that has been killed it is about the people sloving the crime and the drama in their lives and how the murder challenges them to become a changed person at the end of the episode. Any thoughts?
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5 comments:
I think the descriptions of the women in this tale fits in with the detective/mystery story. If the women were described as sickly and beautiful, there wouldn't be much of a mystery to solve.
I do agree that this tale is more about Dupin and the way he goes about solving the murders. He brings up some issues concerning perception and observation. He makes the point that "it should not be so much asked 'what had occurred,' as 'what has occurred that has never occurred before' (414). Dupin seems to think outside the box and rely on his own thoughts and intuition in order to solve a mystery.
I also agree that the story is more about Dupin solving the murder, rather than about the murder itself. But I was wondering how the story woud be different if Dupin was the narrator? If we could be inside his head and see how his clever, insightful mind works, would the story be more or less entertaining?
I think it would be less enjoyable because I liked finding out the mystery along with the narrator. Looking in from the outside adds suspense.
Jennifer, I was going to say the same thing. I think that Dupin was not made the narrator on purpose because through the narrator, the reader gets to appreciate the way Dupin solves the crime and watch it as the narrator does. I think Poe wanted us the be in the narrators outside point of view rather than in the solving point of view, especially becasue Dupins strategies would be new and confusing for the reader to identify with.
The tale definitely could have been told with male victims. Having it be a father and a son wouldn't have affected the outcome at all. I doubt that it would have been as sensationalized though. I actually think that the two women murdered were female versions of Dupin and the narrator. They lived like each other, holed up in their house not getting visitors. Did anyone else feel this way and what would be the significance? Maybe this is what drew Dupin and the narrator to the crime.
And in not getting descriptions I automatically assumed they weren't all that beautiful, just for the simple fact that Poe is always so descriptive of his women. It made the motive seem all that more complicated. The victims didn't matter. They were just victims.
And I read this like an episode of CSI too. Through a bizarre murder we get introduced to some interesting characters who I actually want to read more from.
I read everything you all have said thus far concerning the gender of the murdered, and I feel bad, but I have to disagree.
Poe describes the mother as a fortune teller, who has become a recluse. Here I think he was making the point that women are "otherworldly" or supernal. Or at least refined humans who are defenseless to the "natural" world of beasts.
My question is- do you think Poe is making a statement on the mistreatment of slaves in the metaphor of the poor whipped Ourang-Outang of East Indian Islands (424)
I kept thinking of Nat Turner and his rebellion of 1831- could this story and it's senseless murder of a fortune teller and her daughter by a poor caged beast in retaliation of his confinement and brutal treatment by his capture- be Poe's statement on slavery in general?
I guess I am saying that yes- I think if Poe was making a statement on what separates humans from animals - then the victims need to be women. And- No, I don't think the story is more about Dupin, although this is a interesting layer of the story.
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