Intercultural Studies II

a) Brief historical context of the short story ´The Murders ...¨: Where does it take place? When? What was happening in the world? And in South America?

“The Murders in the Rue Morgue”, written by Edgar Allan Poe, takes place in Paris, France, in the mid-nineteenth century. The nineteenth century was a time of lots of social changes and major conflicts, such as the Napoleonic Wars, the decline of the Ottoman Empire, the Industrial Revolutions, among others. Here in South America, the 19th century was a period of Independence Wars. After the Napoleonic Wars, the Spanish king was captured, therefore people living in the South American colonies started their Revolutions and their journey towards Independence. It was also a big era for science and technological development. For example, Charles Darwin’s journey on the HMS Beatles, which led to the publication of his famous research “On the Origin of Species”; Dmitri Mendeleev created the Periodic Table and Gregor Mendel formulated his theory of inheritance. In the medical field, many important discoveries were made in the 19th century. Morphine was first isolated, anesthesia was first used and Louis Pasteur created the first successful vaccine. As for literature and culture, both of the novels we read and analysed were published: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.

b) Describe Dupin: What is he like? Justify your thoughts with passages from the story.

Auguste Dupin was a young gentleman who came from a wealthy family but had been reduced to poverty. He is depicted as a rather reserved, lonely man who enjoys being alone and does not let anyone know about his whereabouts. “Our seclusion was perfect. We admitted no visitors. Indeed the locality of our retirement had been carefully kept a secret from my own former associates; and it had been many years since Dupin had ceased to know or be known in Paris. We existed within ourselves alone.” (p. 10) It is mentioned he loves nighttime, and is in fact “enamored” of the night. He is analytical and detailed with everything he does and he takes pleasure in the analysis of situations. “At such times I could not help remarking and admiring (although from his rich ideality I had been prepared to expect it) a peculiar analytic ability in Dupin. He seemed, too, to take an eager delight in its exercise - if not exactly in its display - and did not hesitate to confess the pleasure thus derived.” (p. 11) 

c) Read this quote thoroughly: What happened before that? What happened next?

"We are possibly not giving this matter a fair trial," he said. "The paper is spread out upon a plane surface; but the human throat is cylindrical. Here is a billet of wood, the circumference of which is about that of the throat. Wrap the drawing around it, and try the experiment again"

I did so: but the difficulty was even more obvious than before. "This," I said, "is the mark of no human hand"

1) Write approx 400 words discussing his motivation to write, his interests, his main objectives and his fears. Make clear time and place where these letters are written. 

2) Why do you think the author decided to use a letter- format to begin? 

3) Find out: which main scientific discoveries were made in the 1800s?