Victoria

Hard-boiled detection is contrast to classic detection because it is considered a “what the hell is going on?” The elements depicted in hard-boiled are antithesis of the elements provided in classic detection. There are twelve elements: moral dilemma, democratic/ classless, character over plot, inductive/ instinctive, detective is actively involved, spontaneous/coincidental, urban setting, crime/ murder bloody/violent, criminal is part of gang/conspiracy, critique of society from below, moral ambiguity in end, and emphasis on sex/ masculinity. Further attention will be geared toward: intent of the detective, methods used to solve mysteries, and the types of murders committed. Classic detection clearly defines the intent of the detective. For instance, Dupin from “Murders in the Rue Morgue” welcomes the case for his own personal entertainment. Holmes’ intent is obtaining justice by exposing the perpetrator. In “The Final Problem,” Holmes endangers himself to capture the criminal. Methods used to unravel a mystery, varies from detective to detective, but in hard-boiled fiction, detectives are often following their gut. For instance, Violet of “Missing page thirteen,” follows an approach that matches the mystery. She listens to the story, back tracks the steps as they’ve been explained and from observing the room decided the paper has slipped under the door. She then does work necessary to get the paper and restore order. In contrast to classic detective fiction, hard-boiled fiction has much more explicit murders. In “The Blue Geranium,” the victim is poisoned. Sherlock Holmes, in “The Final Problem,” is killed off very simply—by falling off of a cliff. However, in “The Big Sleep,” Regan is shot and kill only to be buried at the bottom of a well. Regan’s wasn’t the only death within that story. Hardboiled tends to have a chain of murders as depicted in “The Maltese Falcon” and, “Devil in a Blue Dress.” Two categories within one genre have differences clearly out line with-in these guidelines: moral dilemma, democratic/ classless, character over plot, inductive/ instinctive, detective is actively involved, spontaneous/coincidental, urban setting, crime/ murder bloody/violent, criminal is part of gang/conspiracy, critique of society from below, moral ambiguity in end, and emphasis on sex/ masculinity. Hard-boiled detection allows the author to create a complicated plot, which allows for a detailed story of corruption and murder. If however, a short classical story were to do the same, it would be impossible to squeeze as much detail in such a short text. Unraveling mysteries within groups of people, like the ones exemplified in hard- boiled detection is not something that can be done by observation and logical reasoning alone. These categories are on opposite ends of the spectrum, but it works.
 * Final Submission of Essay 3:**
 * As opposed to classic, hard-boiled challenges the intent of the detective. Spade, from __ The Maltese Falcon, __ addresses Brigid’s plea for help. There is a complicated entanglement of lies, and Spade is directly in the middle. He flips like a switch, and it’s a surprise to what he does next. Spade creates the illusion that he is siding with Brigid. Then he pressures her into undressing in the bathroom, in hopes of find the missing money. Furthermore, he deceives her when he turns her over to the authorities. **
 * Opposite of Violet’s methods, Easy from __ Devil in a Blue Dress __, convinces the audience that he is a hardworking individual, and he just wants to live in the house, which he paid. After determining Albright is someone he should not be associated with, he is offered a shady job he can’t resist. This is excused by Easy finding the means necessary to keep his prize possession, forcing Easy down a path of hypocrisy. Mouse is mentioned as someone Easy is avoiding, and yet Easy reconnects with him for help. After investing time and energy into avoiding Daphne, he has the affair with her. Easy is irrational and makes the audience question his motives. Although amateur, his methods prove effective in the end. **

Final Submission of Essay 1: Although some critics regard Poe’s “Murders in the Rue Morgue” as the first modern detective story, it falls short of reader’s expectation of what good detection is. Not to minimize its importance in laying the foundation of thousands of stories that followed it, just to point out that Rue Morgue has serious flaws. Dupin’s character is superficial. He originally decides to solve the mystery for his own personal excitement, contrasting Sherlock Holmes who is seeking justice. As the main character of the story, he is not guiding the audience to make their own decision. The use of lengthy prose detracts from the flow of the narration, and adds to the tension causing a modern reader to loose interest. Providing an extensive eye witness testimony sets the pace too slow for modern sensibilities. When determining the point of egress, Poe is again successful at providing a lengthy explanation that stretches a page long. As an author, Poe allows Dupin to withhold evidence therefore omitting suspense. The narrator is given the opportunity to provide a lengthy explanation of his findings, and Dupin uses the moment after to tell him he is wrong. This leads into another of Dupin’s lengthy explanations. Finally, readers are most excited upon receipt of the sailor’s confirmation and still the audience is left feeling cheated. A lot of Duping personality traits make him a terrible main character for a short detective story. He is egotistical and his lack of emotional attachment to the case leaves the audience witness to his arrogance. Use of lengthy prose including: a testimony that is three pages of irrelevant information; long extensive descriptions of the point of egress; and the narrator’s explanation of his findings, bores the audience. This is not meant to deny Poe the credit he deserves in creating the first detective story and laying the foundation for the many stories following. While flawed, without this story, modern detection would not be what it is today. **Final Submission of Essay 2:**

Female detectives are clearly depicted as the antithesis of their male counterparts within “The missing Page Thirteen,” and “The Jury of Her Peers.” These women are: intuitive, emotional, sympathetic, observant, mindful, and perceptive of their communities and the inhabitants. They exercise their knowledge to unravel mysteries. Martha Hale and Mrs. Peters, the female sleuths from “Jury of Her Peers,” walk into Mrs. Wright’s home and the arrangement seemed a bit peculiar. They keep their homes very tidy in contrast to Mrs. Wright’s. While perusing Mrs. Wright’s home, they notice a quilt with crooked stitches Mrs. Wright has sewn. The women acknowledge Mrs. Wrights work and re-stitch it. The women are mindful of the explicit details, yet the Sheriff wanders though, oblivious of his surroundings. Martha Hale and Mrs. Peters are her neighbors for years and seldom visit. Now they realize trouble in her home, and it’s too late to help her. This leaves Martha Hale and Mrs. Peters feeling like they abandoned her and guilty for doing so. A deep connection makes them wish they could have prevented her anguish. They decide to conceal the evidence from the sheriff leaving Martha Hale and Mrs. Peters feeling content and free of their guilt. Violet, the sleuth from “Missing Page Thirteen,” presents a different approach. She solves the mystery single-handedly, as opposed to Mrs. Peters and Martha Hale of “The Jury of Her Peers.” As soon as Violet arrives to Van Broecklyn’s property, she is greeted by a familiar face. As the narrator explains, Roger Upjohn is a friend whom she connects with “is not only one she knew but that of whom she trusted—a friend whose very presence gave her courage.” Afterward, her intuition senses “there was trouble in the house—great trouble. Something had occurred for which an explanation must be found before morning, or the happiness and honour of more than one person now under this unhappy roof would be wrecked.” Violet senses urgency and takes responsibility for someone’s honor—and it could be her own, if she doesn’t complete the task bestowed upon her. Once given the details, Mr. Spielhagen and Mr. Cornell anticipate Violets reaction. Instead of placing blame, Violet is neutral in stating, she has “…not the least doubt he thought he had been studying the formula at the time he dropped off to sleep. I have every confidence in the gentlemen’s candour. But also have I in that of Mr. Cornell.” Later we find that there is more to this mystery then what meets the eye. Violet leaps with courage into the dark, one of her biggest fears, and recovers the missing page. Although one mystery is unveiled, she has a scarring mental image of the skeletons. Mr. Van Broecklyn explains the tragedy of his mother’s crime and later suicide. He gets closure after all these years, and is able to move forward. It was an emotional moment that may not have been so easily induced by a male detective. Martha Hale, Mrs. Wright and Violet are just a few detectives that help portray the differences in male or female detection. Female detectives are more so intuitive, emotional, observant, and sympathetic. The emotional attachment is rarely seen in male detection. It is their driving force, and in the end justice is served.

Female detectives differ from their counterparts in several ways. Women are very intuitive, emotional, and sympathetic. Women are very observant of their communities, and the people within their communities, and they use that knowledge to solve their mysteries. Martha Hale and Mrs. Peters, the female sleuths from “Jury of Her Peers,” walk into Mrs. Wright’s home and the arrangement seemed a bit peculiar. They keep their homes very clean and her home was in shambles. They noticed some stitching Mrs. Wright did is crooked. The women acknowledge this and re-stitched it. The women are able to pick up on those specific details but the Sheriff does a walk through, not even thinking twice. Martha Hale and Mrs. Wright are her neighbors all these years and rarely visit her. They see just how broken her home is, and feel guilty for looking past it. They felt as though they abandoned her. A deep connection made them wish they could’ve prevented her pain or help her in some other way. They take it upon themselves to keep her crime concealed from the sheriff. The women are content knowing Mrs. Wright is no longer a suspect in her husbands’ murder. Violet the female sleuth from “Missing Page Thirteen,” presents a different angle. She solves the mystery by herself, loosing the partnered effect provided in “The Jury of Her Peers.” As soon as Violet steps on the Van Broecklyn’s property she is immediately greeted by a friendly face. Roger Upjohn, the person, with whom she has an emotional connection, “was not only one she knew but that of whom she trusted—a friend whose very presence gave her courage.” After Violet greets Roger, her intuition senses “there was trouble in the house—great trouble. Something had occurred for which an explanation must be found before morning, or the happiness and honour of more than one person now under this unhappy roof would be wrecked.” Violet feels a sense of urgency, and in her own way, is taking responsibility for someone’s honor—and it could very well be her own if she doesn’t complete the task bestowed upon her. Once given the information about the night in which page thirteen went missing, it seems as though Mr. Spielhagen and Mr. Cornell are looking for her to point blame at one of the two gentlemen. Instead, Violet acts as the voice of reason and states, “I have not the least doubt he thought he had been studying the formula at the time he dropped off to sleep. I have every confidence in the gentlemen’s candour. But also have I in that of Mr. Cornell.” Later we find that there is more to this mystery then what meets the eye, and Violet takes a leap of courage and faces the dark, which one of her biggest fears. She has missing page thirteen and a scarring mental image of the skeletons. Mr. Van Broecklyn begins to explain the tragedy of his parents plan to kill each other. He gets closure after all these years and is able to move forward. It was a very emotional moment for him, one that may not have been so easily introduced by a male detective. Martha Hale, Mrs. Wright and Violet are just a few detectives that help spell out the differences between a male or female detective would solve a mystery. Female detectives are very intuitive, emotional, observant, and sympathetic. The emotional attachment felt by female detectives is rarely seen in male detection. It is their driving force and in the end justice is served.

I definitely agree with critics that regard “Murders in the Rue Morgue” as the first modern detective story. While it has paved the way for authors of detective fiction to take some of Poe’s ideas, and turn them into their own, there are a few things that make the story dreadful to read. The text of the story is too long. The long description of Dupin and the narrator is necessary because Poe wants us to understand how they think, but the “eye witness testimony” is too much. Providing readers with several repeated witness accounts makes me loose interest, and took up unnecessary space on the page. Dupin has a lot of good qualities that makes him a good detective. We learn that Dupin comes from a wealthy family, but an unfortunate series of events left him nearly broke. He is worldly, educated, and loves to read. He challenges the narrator, and the narrator enjoys it a lot. Dupin uses observation, logical reasoning, and imagination to figure out it was an ape that killed the two women, and not a crazy human being. When Dupin sees the window is nailed shut he knows that wasn’t the way to perpetrator left. “A large gimlet hole had been pierced in its frame to the left,” explains the narrator, “and a stout nail was found fitted therein, nearly to the head. Upon examining the other window, a similar nail was found seen similarly fitted in it; and a vigorous attempt to raise this sash, failed also. The police were now entirely satisfied that egress had not been in these directions. And, //therefore//, it was thought a matter of supererogation to withdraw the nails and open the windows. "My own examination was somewhat more particular, and was so for the reason I have just given—because here it was, I knew, that all apparent impossibilities //must// be proved to be not such in reality. "I proceeded to think thus—//à posteriori//. The murderers did escape from one of these windows. This being so, they could not have refastened the sashes from the inside, as they were found fastened;—the consideration which put a stop, through its obviousness, to the scrutiny of the police in this quarter. Yet the sashes //were// fastened. They //must//, then, have the power of fastening themselves. There was no escape from this conclusion. I stepped to the unobstructed casement, withdrew the nail with some difficulty and attempted to raise the sash. It resisted all my efforts, as I had anticipated. A concealed spring must, I now know, exist; and this corroboration of my idea convinced me that my premises at least, were correct, however mysterious still appeared the circumstances attending the nails. A careful search soon brought to light the hidden spring. I pressed it, and, satisfied with the discovery, forbore to upraise the sash. "I now replaced the nail and regarded it attentively. A person passing out through this window might have reclosed it, and the spring would have caught—but the nail could not have been replaced. The conclusion was plain, and again narrowed in the field of my investigations. The assassins //must// have escaped through the other window. Supposing, then, the springs upon each sash to be the same, as was probable, there //must// be found a difference between the nails, or at least between the modes of their fixture. Getting upon the sacking of the bedstead, I looked over the head-board minutely at the second casement. Passing my hand down behind the board, I readily discovered and pressed the spring, which was, as I had supposed, identical in character with its neighbor. I now looked at the nail. It was as stout as the other, and apparently fitted in the same manner—driven in nearly up to the head.”

The nails had been in place for so long. They rotted in the hole in which Dupin pulled them from, and fell apart in his hands. Dupin finds the hair, and uses logical reasoning to deduce that it is not human hair. Then he finds the article in the newspaper about the ape being spotted near the home in which he committed the murders. Dupin then interviews the sailor, and the mystery is solved. Waiting until the end to point out the hair was animal hair is Poe’s way of controlling the audience and showing Dupin’s control over the narrator. Dupin wants him to come up with his own explanation of his findings, and when he does, Dupin seizes the moment to tell the narrator he is wrong. The way Dupin solves the mystery falls short of my expectations because a lot of the excitement is lost. As readers we were denied information about the ape hair until the end of the story. The most excitement is provided as the sailor confirms Dupin’s analysis, and that wasn’t much at all, considering Dupin was already pretty confident in his explanation. I like stories with more excitement and details provided, and the use of the detective as a guide for the reader. For example, in the “Speckled Band” we are given the same information that Holmes is given. Of course he looks further into the clues presented, and the story has a twist in which the speckled band is actually an imported snake.Holmes was a part of the action in the story. He moved into to young woman’s room and put his life on the line in order to figure out how her sister dies. Dupin didn’t even put much effort into solving the mystery besides using what he already sees. Moreover, Dupin can be very unappealing and questionable. For instance, Dupin decides to take the mystery for his personal enjoyment and there is no personal connection that makes him obligated to solve it. Poe describes Dupin in a way that makes him seem imaginary. The narrator wanted to keep Dupin all to himself, and when they moved in together they “…had no visitors. Indeed our locality had been 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.” Regardless of his past, it seems that he is completely alone in the world with the exception of the narrator.In the beginning of this class I thought I had very little expectations for detective fiction because I hardly read it. Reading “Murders of the Rue Morgue,” helped counter my own argument. I may not read as much detective fiction but I know now that I have expectations for this genre. There is a lot I don’t like about “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” but I appreciate it just as much because with out it, detective fiction would not be what it is today.

Classic detection also considered a whodunit, consists of twelve elements: an intellectual puzzle, aristocratic, plot over character, rational/ deductive/ratiocinative, detective as a detached observer, scientific investigation/ psychological study, urban or rural setting, clean murder, criminal acts alone, critique of society and above, moral order restored at the end, and it is sexless. On the other hand, hard-boiled fiction, also considered a what the hell is going on?, consists of twelve completely different elements: moral dilemma, democratic/ classless, character over plot, inductive/ instinctive, detective is actively involved, spontaneous/coincidental, urban setting, crime/ murder bloody/violent, criminal is part of gang/conspiracy, critique of society from below, moral ambiguity in end, and emphasis on sex/ masculinity. Some of the major differences that stick out the most are: the intention of the detective, the way in which the detective solves the mystery, the types of murders committed, the emphasis on sex, and the moral ending. Classic detection clearly defines the intention of the detective. For instance, Dupin from “Murders in the Rue Morgue” takes on the case for his own personal entertainment. Holmes’ intention is to seek justice by finding the criminal and handing them over to the police as proven in “The Final Problem.” Holmes puts his life on the line in order to expose the criminal and the detectives seem to be having a moral dilemma. Hard-Boiled detection on the other hand leaves you wondering the intent of the detective. For instance, Spade agrees to take the case and help Brigid. The story is a tangled web of lies and Spade is directly in the middle. When it seems he is on Brigid’s side, he makes her strip down in the bathroom in hopes of finding the missing money. Then he turns her over to the authorities even after having the affair with her. Another detective from hard-boiled fiction, Marlowe, leads us all to believe that he is trying to figure out who is blackmailing Mr. Sternwood when he is actually figuring out where Regan is. Marlowe get him self in the middle of this dangerous tangle, almost as if he were going for blood, and then he just lets the sisters go. As a reader, we had no idea what he wanted from the girls exactly, and it turns out he just wants to protect Mr. Sternwood from the terrible truth. Last but not least, Easy, leads the reader to believe that he is a hardworking civilian and he just wants to live in the house he paid for. Then he is offered a really shady job, and although he can’t put his finger on it, he knows something is wrong. Mouse is always mentioned as someone Easy wants to keep away from and then Easy calls looking for him. Soon enough he sleeps with Daphne after all the time he invested into staying away from her. All of these little details leave the reader questioning what the detective is actually doing. Classical detectives do things specifically when solving a mystery. They use rationalization, deduction, and ratiocination. Hard-boiled detectives go by their own personal code. The murders in classical detection all seem to follow the same pattern: body found, no blood or gore. Hard-Boiled is the complete opposite. There is more then one bloody murder committed. Classical detection does not even touch upon sex. All the sex is saved for hard-boiled detection.

Everyday seems like a battle of the sexes. One gender has not been proven better than the other, but detective fiction has shown readers that women and men have a different thought process. Male and female detection differ in several ways. Male detectives are portrayed as thinking machines, analytical, astute game players, and hardly let their emotions interfere with their job. Female detectives, on the other hand, are very intuitive, emotional, and sympathetic. They are very observant of their communities, and the women within their communities, and they use that knowledge to solve their mysteries. Sherlock Holmes, for example, is a man of science and analysis. He’s resourceful, quick, and takes every detail into consideration. Holmes is able to deduce that Watson has gone back to work by just looking at him. Holmes doesn’t let his emotions get the best of him. Sherlock meets Irene Adler and is attracted to her because she is adventurous combined with beauty and brains. Adler is his detection match and the first to outwit him. Although she comes out on top, Holmes’ defeat was due to her knowledge, and experience with disguise. His attraction to her never interferes with his work. The women in “Jury of Her Peers” present the key differences between male and female detectives in one story. When they walk into Mrs. Wright’s house their intuition tells them something was off because they keep their homes very clean. They also noticed some stitching Mrs. Wright did is crooked. The women acknowledge this and re-stitched it. They are her neighbors all those years and rarely visit her. Now they see just how broken her home is, and they feel guilty for looking past it and they felt as though they abandoned her. An emotional connection made them feel as though they could’ve prevented her pain or helped her in some other way. There emotions took control and they help her by keeping her crime concealed from the sheriff.Her crime is overlooked by the police and the women are content knowing Mrs. Wright is no longer a suspect in her husbands murder. Would Sherlock Holmes or any of the other male detectives have been able to handle the mystery the same ways in which the women of detection have? Probably not; He would’ve drawn the conclusions in a different way, but he wouldn’t have been able to walk away or feel a need to protect her. Being a woman comes with a territory men just don’t understand. Hardly do we ever come across a man who sees a messy home, and thinks twice, or looks at stitching to see if it’s cooked. Looking for those kinds of clues is skill acquired from being exposed to things women of that time were used to doing. Men and woman are very different from each other. The differences lies in the thought process. Male detectives are thinking machines, analytical, astute game players, and hardly let their emotions interfere with their job. Female detectives on the other hand are very intuitive, emotional, and sympathetic. They are very observant of their communities and the women within their communities and they use that knowledge to solve their mysteries. It’s something we have seen in society and not just in detective fiction. Having such a twist played on our differences is very enjoyable and more interesting to read every time.

Most critics regard Edgar Allan Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" as the first modern detective story. What is your assessment of it? Does it correspond to, fall short of, or exceed your notion of what detective and mystery fiction is or should be? I definitely agree with critics that regard “Murders in the Rue Morgue” as the first modern detective story. The short story paved the way for authors of detective fiction to take some of Poe’s ideas and turn them into their own. The actual text of the story is way too long. Of course a detailed description of Dupin and the narrator is necessary because Poe wants us to understand how they think, but the “eye witness testimony” was way too long. The townspeople heard voices and yet they couldn’t understand. Breaking each testimony down took up space on the page and made me loose interest in continuing reading. Dupin has a lot of good qualities and that makes him a good detective and friend. We lean that Dupin comes from a wealthy family but an unfortunate series of events left him with barely any money. He is worldly and he loves to read. His intelligence challenges the narrator and the narrator enjoys it a lot. Dupin uses mere observation, logical reasoning, and imagination to find out it was an ape that killed the two women and not a human being. When Dupin sees the door is nailed shut he knows that wasn’t the way to perpetrator entered. Then he finds the hair and uses logical reasoning to deduce that it is not human hair. Then he finds the article in the newspaper about the ape coming in on the sailboat. Dupin then interviews the sailor and the mystery is solved. Saving all the information for the end is Poe’s way of controlling the audience and because Dupin was able to withhold information from the narrator shows Dupins control over him. The way he solved the mystery fell short of my expectations because a lot of the excitement was taken out. As readers we were denied information about the ape hair until the end of the story. The most excitement was provided as we were waiting for the sailor to confirm Dupins analysis, and that wasn’t much at all considering Dupin was already pretty confident. I like stories that use the detective as a guide through the mystery. Dupin wasn’t that kind of detective. On the other hand Dupin can be very unappealing and questionable. For instance, Dupin decides to take the mystery for his personal enjoyment and there is no personal connection that makes him obligated to solve it. Poe describes Dupin is in a way that makes him seem imaginary. The narrator wanted to keep Dupin all to himself, and when they moved in together they “…had no visitors. Indeed our locality had been 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.” Regardless of his past, it seems that he is completely alone in the world with the exception of the narrator. In the beginning of this class I thought I had very little expectations for detective fiction because I hardly read it. Reading “Murders of the Rue Morgue,” helped counter my own argument. I may not read detective fiction all the time but I learned that I prefer hard boiled. There is a lot I don’t like about “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” but I appreciate it just as much because with out it, hard boiled detection would’ve never been printed.

Reading female detection after studying male detection was very different in several ways. There are several differences in male and female detection that make them both enjoyable in different ways. Male detectives are portrayed to be thinking machines as well as very analytical. They are also astute game players and are hardly let their emotions interfere with their job. Female detectives on the other hand are very intuitive as well as emotional and sympathetic. They are very observant of their communities and the women within their communities and they use that knowledge to solve their mysteries. Sherlock Holmes, for example is a man of science and analysis. He’s resourceful, quick, and takes every detail into consideration. For example, Sherlock is able to deduce that Watson has gone back to work by just looking at him. Also, letting his emotions get the best of him is something that doesn’t happen. Sherlock meets Irene Adler and is attracted to her. She is the first to outwit him but he never lets his attraction to her interfere with his work. The women in Jury of Her Peers do a great job of portraying the ultimate differences between male and female detectives. As soon as they walk into Mrs. Wright’s house and notice the mess they automatically realize that something is off. Their woman intuition and previous memories of how neat she is automatically tells them something is wrong. At one point they feel guilty knowing she is their neighbor and over the years they just lost contact. No one went to visit her and they abandoned her. An emotional connection made them feel as though they could’ve prevented her pain or helped her in some other way. The way they felt to help her was to keep her crime concealed from the sheriff. When they noticed the stitching was crooked and that she was a perfect sewer, the one lady re-stitched it to cover it up. Her crime goes un-noticed and the ladies are content knowing she was suspected by the police. Would Sherlock Holmes or any of the other male detectives have been able to solve the mystery the same ways in which the women of detection have? Probably not; being a woman comes with a territory men just don’t understand. Hardly do we ever come across a man who sees a messy home and thinks twice or looks at stitching to see if it’s cooked. Looking for those kinds of clues is skill acquired from being exposed to things women of that time were used to doing. Men and woman are very different from eachother. It’s something we have seen in society and not just in detective fiction. Having such a twist played on our differences is very enjoyable and more interesting to read every time.

While Poe’s Murder of the Rue Morgue is regarded as the first modern detective story, it falls short of many aspects found enjoyable in the works of Hammett. They are writers of different calibers and contribute different things to detection fiction but Hammett presents the mystery that allows the audience to be a part of the suspense.

Murders of the Rue Morgue had plenty of testimony provided by the townspeople, but no evidence leading the reader to believe the ape was the culprit. When all evidence seems to point to an unknown person, animal hair is discovered. Not until Dupin decided to speak with the Sailor were the readers given that portion of the mystery.

The testimony provided in The Maltese Falcon was provided to the reader by witnessing the events as they happened. Of course in both stories the reader is led to solve a smaller, less important mystery, but in The Maltese Falcon Spade is actively involved where Dupin is not. Spade has the same facts we do, but he solves the mystery with his gut. He’s spontaneous and very unpredictable, and adds flavor to the story. He sides with the law and his drive is justice. Dupin keeps all the facts to his self until the very end because he has a big ego, and uses it to prove he was better at solving the mystery without breaking a sweat. Dupin chooses to solve the mystery for pure entertainment, and he has no real professional goals as a detective.

Murders in the Rue Morgue, is considered to be the first detective story. From a readers perspective I prefer the Maltese Falcon. Hammett makes Spade a desirable character in more ways then one, and uses him to guide the reader in solving the mystery. The language is much more modern and easy to read. However, Murders in the Rue Morgue has a detective who doesn’t seem to care much about the audience and how we are following the mystery. Facts are withheld and Dupin only solves the mystery for pure entertainment. It may be the first detective story but as time continued other dimensions were added to detective fiction that made the experience more enjoyable.