Discussion of The Mystery to the Solution in Relation to the Urban Setting - Assignment Example

Discussion of The Mystery to the Solution in Relation to the Urban Setting Discussion of The Mystery to the Solution in Relation to the Urban Setting Introduction Edgar Allan Poe is widely recognised as the father of the detective story genre(Scaggs, 2005). His pioneering detective stories include “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”, “The Mystery of Marie Rogêt” and “The Purloined Letter”. However, the detective story genre has been the subject of much criticism since its inception in the mid-nineteenth century. Some of that criticism has bordered on contempt as illustrated by Edmund Wilson’s 1944 scathing “Why Do People Read Detective Stories?” and 1945 “Who Cares Who Killed Roger Ackroyd?”. Even as some classic authors expressed contempt for the genre, there were those who expressed their admiration for the same. An example is John Irwin. However, in his The Mystery to a Solution: Poe, Borges, and the Analytic Detective Story, Irwin goes a step farther than expressing his support for the genre; he interrogates, in a critical manner, the status of the detective story as literary form. He questions the ability of the detective story to sustain interest once the mystery is solved(Irwin, 1996). Indeed, W. Auden, one of the pioneers of detective fiction had earlier one confessed that he found it impossible to reread a detective story: in the end, it reveals everything leaving nothing behind to be discovered. This paper seeks to discuss two stories by Poe: “The Man of the Crowd" and "Murders in the Rue Morgue". Both stories receive detailed treatment in Irwins book as the author undertakes an in-depth exploration of the complex relationship between the nineteenth century American writer Edgar Allan Poe and his twentieth-century Argentinian student Jorge Luis Borges. The two stories allude to cultural cosmopolitanism, albeit weakly. Background to the Global City It was the Dutch-American sociologist Saskia Sassen who coined the term “the global city”in her 1991 workThe Global City: New York, London, Tokyo(Sassen, 1991). The concept has its origins in geography and urban studies and is premised on the idea that globalisation manifests itself in a hierarchy of geographical locales, the highest of which is the global city. However, long before Sassen coined the term “the global city”, the term “world city” had been used as early as 1886 to describe Liverpool(Sassen, 2005). The term was used to describe cities that controlled a disproportionate volumes of world business. Even though there is no universal understanding of what constitutes a global city(Sassen, 2000), its standard characteristics include a wide range of international financial services, headquarters of several multinational corporations, the presence of a stock exchange and leading financial institutions, substantial manufacturing centres served by ports and associated facilities, considerable influence on global issues, trade domination that spreads over a large geographical area, high proportions of residents employed in service and knowledge industries and leading universities admitting students from around the world among others(Pratt, 2011). “The Man of the Crowd” Question 1: What is it about the man of the crowd that provokes the narrator’s interest? It was the idiosyncrasy of the expression on the face of the man of the crowd that captured the interest of the narrator(Widger, 2008). The man of the crowd is an old man of sixty-five to seventy years. According to the narrator, he had never seen such a sight before. His interest in the old man is so aroused that he decides to walk out of his coffee house into the street in a bid to have the full view of the old man and scrutinise him more closely. Following the old man from a safe distance, the narrator is then able to take in the finer details of the person of the old man. The old man is short, very thin and seemingly very weak. Overall, his clothes are dirty and ragged. However, upon closer observation, the narrator observes that though dirty, the old mans clothes are made of fine linen, an observation that raises questions about the type of person the old man is. At some point, under the glare of the street lights, the narrator, still in pursuit of the stranger, catches a glimpse of both a diamond and a dagger. Clearly, the old man is not as feeble as he appeared after all. In a pursuit that lasts the entire night, the stranger and the narrator roam through various sections of the city and end up at the narrator’s coffee house where the trek began the previous evening. At one point the adventure brings them to a run-down section of London. The scale of poverty and desperation in the neighbourhood is such that the narrator has never seen all his life. All this while, the stranger is so engrossed in his business does he does not notice the narrator stalking him. During his pursuit of the old man, the narrator observes that the old man is always in the company of the crowd: if he is not on a busy street he is in a busy bazaar. The narrator concludes that the old man is a man of the crowd (Widger, 2008). Question 2: Consider the state of mind of the narrator as the tale opens. As the story opens, the narrator is quite philosophical. He quotes what was once said of a German book: it did not permit itself to be read. Similarly, the narrator claims, there are secrets that do not allow themselves to be told(Widger, 2008). He notes that men die with very deep secrets in their hearts, as a result of which crimes go unresolved. Whereas the import of these remarks is not obvious, it appears as though the narrator is preparing the reader for what he (the narrator) accomplishes as the story unfolds. Through his investigative skills, he unravels a category of city residents that may be called people of the crowd: men and women who take advantage of city congestion to commit crime. Unfortunately, besides finding out that the old man is a man of the crowd, the narrator takes no further action. Instead, he returns to his daily routine, concluding that there is nothing more to learn from the old man. At the opening of the story also, the narrator is rather critical. For months now, he has been unwell and away from his business – he runs a coffee house in London. Now that he is recovering from his illness, he has suddenly become awarer and critical of his environment. There were many things he used to have for granted but which he now takes great interest in. One of the mundane activities that now excite him is sitting by the window of his coffee house and watching passers-by. It is during one of his passers-by watching events that he catches a glimpse of and develops interest in the man of the crowd. Besides watching passers-by the narrator now derives much pleasure from the mundane tasks of breathing and reading his newspaper that he now reads much more keenly than he used to. It is interesting that the narrator says that he now derives pleasure from what used to be sources of pain (Widger, 2008). However, he does not disclose the former pains that now bring him pleasure. Question 3: In what ways does the narrator analyse or “read” the people who pass by his city coffee house window? The narrator analyses the passers-by by the window of his coffee house and classifies them according to their occupations and how those occupations adapt them to the city. He notes that the majority of the people he watched pass by depicted a business-like demeanour that expressed a state of satisfaction(Widger, 2008). This category of people exudes a great deal of composure and patience. For instance, when obstructed, they do not show any signs of impatience or agitation. Instead, they adjust their clothes and bearing and forge on. By contrast, the narrator observes another category of passers-by that appear to be not at peace to the point of talking to themselves as if consoling themselves from the solitude of city life. These people, the narrator notes, are highly irritable. Also, when obstructed, they seem to return to their senses and stop muttering. According to the narrator, both categories of people fall under the class of city residents that is considered descent. The class comprises the noblemen, the traders, lawyers. This class does not excite the attention of the narrator. The narrator then identifies what he call the tribe of clerks(Widger, 2008). He groups the class into two: the junior and the upper clerks. The former are predominantly modestly dressed young gentlemen. The latter are older and less fashionable, but command greater respectability. The narrator also identifies the class of pick-pockets. He believes this class is highly discernible and wonders how some city residents can mistake them for gentlemen. According to the narrator, they can be identified by their large wristbands and an excessive confident that readily betrays. The narrator also identifies gamblers. These dress colourfully and speak in hushed tones. Their thumbs, according to the narrator, form right angles with the rest of the fingers. Whereas the basis of the narrator’s classification is not clear and the classification itself uncomprehensive, it nonetheless gives a largely realistic picture the city population. Connection with "The Global City" One of the key characteristics of the global city is that it is cosmopolitan(Nathan & Lee, 2011). The idea of cosmopolitanism has a number of interpretations(Spasic, 2011). In philosophy, the idea is mainly associated with moral obligation and the rendering of human values universal. In political science and theory and governance studies, the idea is concerned with, among other things, the accommodation of multiculturalism in society. Thus, a cosmopolitan city is one where people of different ethnicities, cultures, religions and backgrounds live and interact in proximity. The term is especially applied to busy sea ports. In the UK, for instance, London is one of the original "global cities" as defined by Sassen. The city dominates the UK economy: in 2006-7, it accommodated about 13% of the UK population and accounted for approximately 20% of the national GDP. “The Man of the Crowd” is set in the mid-nineteenth century London. To some extent, based on the story, the city may be said to have cosmopolitan then. The argument is based on the narrator’s profiling of the residents of the city at the time: from noblemen, merchants and lawyers to pick-pockets through clerks. Thus, in terms of social background, the city was highly diverse. However, the story is silent on multi-culturalism, a major measure of cosmopolitanism. Indeed, the city is much more cosmopolitan today than it was then. In fact, London is said to be one of the most culturally diverse global cities (Nathan & Lee, 2011). The UK has, over the last two decades, experienced an influx of migrants, many of whom have settled in London. “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” Question 1: How many of the conventions or commonplaces of the detective story can you find in the story? Overall, the 1920s and 1930s are considered the Golden Age of the detective story(Bird, 2011). During this period, various conventions for writing detective stories were standardised. In 1929, the writer Ronald Knox codified some of the conventions in his “Decalogue” of conventions for detective fiction. One of the of Knox’s rules requires that detective stories avoid supernatural characters(Scaggs, 2005). Knox argued that the goal of a detective story was to unravel a mystery whose elements must be presented to the reader early in the text. In most detective stories of the Golden Age, an outsider investigates a murder that one of a limited number of suspects commits in a closed environment. The outsider could a police officer, a salaried investigator or a gifted amateur. “The Murders in Rue Morgue” conforms to Knox’s rule. All the characters in the story are human beings, the major ones being Dupin and the narrator: there are no supernatural characters in the story. The characters, especially, the two major ones are presented to the reader early in the story. This type of characterisation that uses human persons and avoids supernatural beings makes it easier for the reader to follow the mystery as it unfolds. Also, the story conforms to the convention of Golden Age detective fiction where an outsider unravels the mystery. In this case, it is Dupin, an outsider to the Paris police that unlocks the puzzle of the murders. In addition, the “puzzle approach” to detective fiction became popular during the Golden Age, but not exactly a convention. It was the Golden Age writer Agatha Christie who exemplified the approach(Bird, 2011). Her novels such as Murder on the Orient Express (1934), Death on the Nile (1937) and And Then There Was None (1939) featured complex puzzles for the reader to try and unravel. Later, John Dickson Carr took the puzzle approach a notch higher with his “locked room mystery” subgenre(Scaggs, 2005). Here, a murder is committed under seemingly impossible conditions. The crime scene, usually the locked room, is that that it is impossible for an intruder to enter or leave. In a manner consistent with classical detective fiction, the reader is offered the puzzle and all clues and encouraged to solve the puzzle before the writer reveals the solution in a dramatic twist of events. “The Murders in Rue Morgue” is a “locked room mystery”. An elderly woman and her daughter are murdered under very mysterious circumstance. The body of the daughter is found stacked in the narrow chimney of the fire place in a locked room. That of the elderly is found outside behind her house. Question 2: What do you think is the purpose of the long “introduction”, dealing as it does, games of skill, the character of Dupin and his relationship with the narrator? The narrator begins the story with a lengthy explanation of the circumstances under which he met Auguste Dupin in Paris and Dupin’s background. According to the narrator, Dupin was born into a rich French family, but cared less for wealth. Instead, he was interested in books. The two first met at a bookstore in Paris, both of them being ardent readers. The two fast became friends and moved into one house so they could share their love for books. The lengthy introduction by the author serves to demonstrate Dupin’s reasoning power that later comes in handy in unravelling the murder mystery. In the introduction, there are several occasions when Dupin was able to read the narrator’s mind. A case in point was on one night while the two worked down one of the streets of Paris. They had not talked for fifteen or so minutes. Then suddenly Dupin talks to the narrator about Chantilly. It turns out the narrator has been thinking about Chantilly and his fate in the theatres. The two had never before talked about Chantilly. Thus, the narrator is surprised for two reasons. First, Dupin knows about Chantilly despite them never having talked about him. Secondly, he is surprised that Dupin can read his mind and know what he is thinking about at that very moment. Secondly, the lengthy introduction serves to demonstrate the bond of friendship that develop and persists between Dupin and the narrator. Their friendship comes in handy in resolving the murder mystery involving the elderly woman and her daughter. Even though Dupin plays the lead role in solving the puzzle, given his high thinking capacity, the narrator plays a supportive role. For instance, when the mystery is finally and the Paris police boss is jealous that a civilian, not a police officer, has solved it the narrator puts up a defence for his friend(Irwin , 1996). Thus, the lengthy introduction is not vain. However, the long introduction, coupled with its repetition at the beginning of every part of the story tends to interrupt the flow of the story. Whether the pattern is a coincidence or a literary device the author adopted to createsuspense in the reader is unclear. Question 3: Why does Dupin undertake to solve the murder and what reward does he get for his efforts? Dupin offers to solve the murder because he enjoys difficult assignments as these offer him opportunities to put his critical thinking abilities to use. Thus, after more details surrounding the deaths are published in the newspaper two days after they occurred, Dupin suggests to the narrator that they visit the scene of the crime. Even though Dupin has demonstrated his high reasoning capacity, including reading the narrator’s mind, the latter is still sceptical of the former’s capabilities. He thinks the mystery surrounding the deaths is too complicated to be solved. In any case, the police are at a loss where to begin the search for the murderer or murderers. Nevertheless, the narrator accompanies his friend to the crime scene, both men armed with guns (Irwin, 1996). Once there, Dupin searches the entire house with such great zeal that the narrator does not understand him. Meanwhile, the narrator the narrator notices nothing new beyond what has been reported in the newspaper. To the discomfort of the narrator, upon the completion of Dupin’s search, the two return home without Dupin uttering a word. In fact he says nothing about the murder nor the murder until noon the following day(Irwin, 1996). It turns out that Dupin believes that the murder was perpetrated by an orang-utan, a fierce yet valuable man-like animal that exists naturally only in the tropical forests, not a man. Only a sailor who sails to faraway places can keep such an animal in Paris. Based on his reasoning and conviction, Dupin puts an advertisement in the newspaper announcing that an orang-utan was found on the seventh day of the month and asking its owner to present himself to pick it at the designated venue. The day Dupin purports the animal was found was the same day the murders occurred. In the end, events turn out exactly as Dupin had expected: the sailor presents himself to the crime scene(Irwin, 1996). The details of the murder are revealed and the mystery is solved. One would expect that a man who solves such a mystery that even the police could not fathom should be rewarded handsomely. Unfortunately, that is not the case for Dupin. Instead, what he gets are jealous sentiments from the Chief of Police; he does not understand how an ordinary man could unravel a puzzle that the entire police service could not. Neither does he ask for pay from anyone. In fact, when asked by the sailor to name his price for the recovery and safe custody of the "animal", Dupin responds by noting that he would consider himself adequately compensated if the sailor furnished him with the truth (Irwin, 1996). The fact that Dupin asks for no pay from anyone reinforces the narrator’s sentiment that he cares less for money and that books, and the resultant critical thinking to solve mysteries, make him happy. Connection with “The Global City” By virtue of being cosmopolitan, the global city is thought to be a centre for innovation and creativity(Sassen, 2005). The argument goes that because of the presence of the highest level of services and amenities, the global city attracts the best crop of people from different cultures. Thus, it is ironical that despite Paris being a multicultural city with major languages represented there, none of the witnesses could understand the voice of the second suspect. Of course, they did not know that the second "suspect" was an animal, not a man. Conclusion This paper sought to discuss two pioneer detective stories by Edgar Allan Poe: “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and “The Man of the Crowd” against the concept of the global city coined in 1991 by the Dutch-American sociologist Saskia Sassen(Sassen , 2005). Of the various facades of the global city, it is cosmopolitanism that resonates with the two stories. In “The Man of the Crowd”, the degree of cosmopolitanism is quite low. In manifests itself in the author’s description of the various classes of the residents of London then and the ways in which the demands of city life has forced them to adapt. In “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”, Paris turns out to be more cosmopolitan with Italians, the Spanish and the English among other nationalities represented. Despite all this cultural diversity being present on Rue Morgue Street, it cannot help in unravelling the mystery. References Bird, P., 2011. Hard-Boiled Detective Fiction as a Vehicle of Social Commentary in Raymond Chandlers The Big Sleep and Walter Mosleys Devil In A Blue Dress.. Journal of the Faculty of Economics, Kyoto Gakuen University, 21(1), pp. 105-114. Irwin, J., 1996. The Mystery to a Solution: Poe, Borges, and the Analytic Detective Story. 1st ed. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press. Nathan, M. & Lee, N., 2011. Does Cultural Diversity Help Innovation in Cities? Evidence from London Firms, London: London School of Economics. Pratt, C., 2011. The cultural economy and the global city. In: B. Derudder, M. Hoyler & P. Taylor, eds. International Handbook of Globalisation and World Cities. Worcester: Clark University Press, pp. 265-274. Sassen, S., 1991. The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo. 1st ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Sassen, S., 2000. The Global City: Strategic Site/New Frontier. American Studies, 41(2-3), pp. 79-95. Sassen, S., 2005. The Global City: Introducing a Concept. The Brown Journal of World Affairs, 11(2), pp. 27-43. Scaggs, J., 2005. Crime Fiction. 1st ed. London: Routledge. Spasic, I., 2011. Cosmopolitanism as Discourse and Performance: A View from the Semiperiphery. Journal of Sociology, 23(11), pp. 269-290. Widger, D., 2008. The Works of Edgar Allan Poe in Five Volumes. The Raven Edition ed. s.l.:Project Gutenberg. Read More