Edgar Allan Poe’s Chevalier Auguste Dupin: The use of ratiocination in fictional crime solving

Utjecaj Edgara Allana Poea na pisce detektivske proze toliko je velik da je njegov fikcionalni detektiv postao prototipom za mnoge kasnije detektive, poglavito Sherlocka Holmesa Arthura Conana Doylea i Hercula Poirota Agathe Christie. Lik detektiva amatera Chevaliera Augusta Dupina pojavljuje se u tri Poeove pripovijetke: „Umorstva u ulici Morgue” (1841), „Zagonetka Marie Rogêt” (1842-1843) i „Ukradeno pismo” (1844). U ovim pripovijetkama Dupin rješava različite zločine uz pomoć svoga neimenovanog pomoćnika. Prva je pripovijetka primjer zagonetke zaključane sobe, druga prikazuje Dupina kao detektiva koji rješava slučaj iz svoga naslonjača, a treća uvodi motiv neuobičajenoga počinitelja. Sve su tri pripovijetke utemeljene na Dupinovoj uporabi logičkoga zaključivanja kao metodi rješavanja zločina koja pokazuje da je rješenje uvijek rezultat čiste logike neovisno o tome koliko je zločin neobičan.Edgar Allan Poe’s influence on detective fiction writers has been so large that his fictional detective became the prototype for many later ones, most notably Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot. The character of the amateur detective Chevalier Auguste Dupin is featured in three of his stories, also known as The Dupin Tales: “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841), “The Mystery of Marie Rogêt” (1842-1843), and “The Purloined Letter” (1844). In these stories, Dupin solves various crime mysteries with the aid of his unnamed helper. The first tale is an example of a locked room mystery, the second portrays Dupin as an armchair detective, and the third introduces the motif of an unlikely perpetrator. All three stories show Dupin’s unique method of crime solving which strongly binds his observations and conclusions by the principle of ratiocination showing that no matter how extraordinary a crime is its solution always adheres to the principles of cold logic