Chapter 9 Edgar Allan Poe: The Founder of the Detective Paradigm

American writer Edgar Allan Poe is one of the greatest technical innovators among modern writers.Regardless of poetry, novels, literary theory and criticism, the original text brings strong spiritual shock to readers. In 1841, he started the genius creation of detective novels. Although he only wrote six detective novels in his life, he has established a classic model for the development of detective novels and has become the pioneer of the paradigm of detective novels in the world. Edgar Allan Poe's six detective stories are original in plot and layout.It is the "Chamber of Secrets" mode pioneered by Edgar Allan Poe. "The Mysterious Case of Mary Roget" uses news reports to solve the mystery with pure logical reasoning, which is a typical "logical reasoning" mode. "The Stolen Letter" is a model for individualized anatomy and logical demonstration of human psychology, creating a "blindfolded" writing mode. "The Gold Beetle" is a story about deciphering codes and searching for treasures to bring about a murder case. The case is intricate and the plot has twists and turns.In "You Are the Murderer" and "The Rectangular Box", Poe cleverly combined the mystery of Gothic novels with the crimes of horror novels, and used strange psychological tactics to solve the mystery. The pattern is a typical "psychotactic method".These five modes of Poe became the classic writing paradigms of detective novels.

Among the six detective novels, the most striking one is that Edgar Allan Poe created the charming private detective Dupin in "The Mystery of Mary Roger" and "The Stolen Letter".Edgar Allan Poe combined scientific spirit and poetic aura with this ideal detective, making him an eternal hero in the hearts of readers.In "The Stolen Letter", Dupin carefully planned to repeat the strategy of the minister, showing a kind of human revenge psychology.Poe used this kind of revenge psychology in "The Gold Bug", "The Rectangular Box" and "You Are the Murderer", so that the spirit of revenge can be fully displayed in detective novels.And this motive of revenge is related to the writing background of Edgar Allan Poe.When Edgar Allan Poe began to write detective novels, it was the time when European and American literary circles showed their fighting character. They opposed indulging in excessively soft sentimentality, and longed to stimulate the potential of individual life with Gothic aesthetic nobility.Edgar Allan Poe's detective novels are just the ideal place to pursue the life potential of individuality. He applies the techniques of mystification—language game, logic game and power game—into the writing of detective novels, building a novelty for modern literature. The landscape has formed a unique charming "Edgar Allan Poe model".

The "Edgar Allan Poe mode" has become a classic narrative mode of the world's detective novels, and also constitutes a high point in the writing of detective novel writers. For more than 160 years, generations of detective novel writers have worked hard on creation, but no matter how hard they work, it is difficult to surpass the "Edgar Allan Poe model".Allan Poe deduces the myth of detective novels, and each of his expressive techniques is a unique creation.Poe designed tense and gripping suspense in each of his novels, and created a poetic and rational image of a private detective based on his own experience.In order to set off this Superman, Poe designed an assistant who admired him infinitely but slowed down his thinking to act as the narrator of the story. This is the combination of "detective + assistant" that readers often read in detective novels. character mode.In order to highlight the wisdom and ability of the private detective, Poe also created an official police detective with a dull mind, good motives but repeated mistakes as a foil.Most of the crime locations are set up in tight indoors, special and unexpected methods are used to hide stolen goods and evidence, and a combination of logical reasoning and psychological analysis is used to solve the case, and then methodically force the criminals to submit. process.

Allan Poe not only created the writing mode of detective novels, but also expanded the writing space of popular literature that emerged in the 19th century.He provides the most beautiful example of the rise of popular culture and changes in popular reading interest in the 19th century.His detective novels contain broad and eternal themes of morality, law, and knowledge, and these stories of crime and revenge imply a dialectic.Poe posits these riveting tales between insanity and logic, criminal audacity and detective rigor, and they all ultimately express the tension between beauty and ugliness, good and evil, truth and falsehood. complicated relationship.Pursue clues, unravel crime mysteries, unravel false symbols, all to bring truth—the truth of the world and the truth of the heart—to a state of clarity.The discovery of truth is not the purpose of Edgar Allan Poe's detective novels. Its purpose and value are reflected in the detective's pursuit of truth.Because Edgar Allan Poe's detective novels express an ideal, that is to get rid of violence and massacre in the world, and to comfort the humble souls who are threatened by death.This is also an important reason why detective novels can seduce human minds for a long time.