The Purloined Letter
- (adapted as a play by Tom Conklin)
by Edgar Allan Poe (Roots)
Start Here
Mysteries featuring detectives are one of the most popular genres of fiction. Think of a fictional detective from books you've read or movies you've watched.
Which of the following qualities are true of great detectives? Discuss with a partner and arrange them in the order of most to least important.
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❐ patience. [6]
❐ a sense of humour. [7]
❐ presence of mind. [2]
❐ good communication skills. [4]
❐ emotional stability. [5]
❐ excellent problem - solving skills. [1]
❐ good research skills. [3]
Comprehension
Read and answer
1. Number the following events in the right sequence, as they happen in the play.
Dupin explains how he recovered the letter from Minister D. [5]
The Prefect meets Dupin to ask for help regarding his new case. [1]
Dupin finds and replaces the original letter with another identical one. [4]
A letter is stolen from the Queen by Minister D. [2]
The Prefect searches Minister D's apartment, but comes up empty-handed. [3]
Reference to context
4. "The Prefect called everything 'odd' that was beyond his own comprehension. He lived in a world full of 'oddities'."
a. Who is the speaker in these lines?
= The narrator (Edgar) is the speaker in these lines.
b. Why are the words 'odd' and 'oddities' in quotes here?
= While the Prefect of Police came to Dupin, he and Edgar were sitting is silence and in darkness in one gusty autumn evening. Prefect had came to ask Dupin's opinion about something. Dupin suggested to discuss in while sitting in the dark. This proposal seemed 'odd' to Prefect.
As the head of the police force, Prefect had to work in a world full of strange things. This is meant by the word 'oddities'. The two words are in quotes to mean two different things.
c. What does this tell you about the tone in which this line is said?
= The narrator (Edgar) here ironically wants to say that Prefect found Dupin's proposal 'odd' being always surrounded by 'oddities'.
5. "Keep looking...As you said, the letter must be somewhere close at hand. You simply haven't found it yet."
a. Who is the speaker in these lines? To whom are the lines addressed?
= Detective Dupin is the speaker in these lines.
The lines are addressed to Prefect of Police.
b. What does it mean to have something 'at hand'?
= To have something 'at hand' means to hide something in a simpler place.
c. Is the speaker's reasoning proved correct later in the play?
= Yes, the speaker's reasoning proved correct later in the play. Minister D had kept the Queen's letter on cheap card rack which dangled from a dirty blue ribbon above the fireplace mantel.
Reflect and answer
6. MINISTER D (smiling with malice) "Very good. I will leave you now. (bowing to the King) Good day, your majesty. (bowing to the Queen) Your highness, I'm sure we will talk soon."
What is meant by 'malice' in someone's tone? How do these stage directions in brackets help us as readers when we perform the play? With a partner, take turns to say this dialogue while 'smiling with malice'.
= 'Malice' in someone's tone means a feeling of hatred for somebody. The Minister D's smile shows his desire to hurt the Queen.
These stage directions in brackets help us and readers when we perform the play properly. The stage directions help us to understand the feeling and emotions of the character we are playing while performing the play.
7. Do you think that Minister D is a smart criminal? Why or why not?
= Yes, I think that Minister D is a smart criminal. He is a bold scoundrel. He immediately understood that the letter is important to the Queen and she wished to hide the letter from the King. He placed a letter he had brought with him onto the desk next to the Queen's letter, then began discussing the business. After fifteen minutes or so, he deliberately picked up the Queen's letter, leaving his own.
He is a cunning criminal. He anticipated that his rooms would be searched. Of course, he would never hide the letter behind a mirror, or in a hollow table leg, because if he did it would certainly be found. He chose not to hide it all those places. He chose a simpler place to hide it.
8. Where would you have hidden such a stolen letter if you were Minister D?
= If I were Minister D, firstly I would have been a loyal minister to the King and Queen. I would have never thought of doing such evil to my masters.
Hypothetically, if I really had to do the same deed like that of Minister D, I would have hid the letter in one of the flower tubs wrapping it with a plastic bag.
9. The play you just read was originally published in 1844 as a short story. What would be different about such a detective story if it were set in modern times? For example, does France still have a king or queen?
= The play you just read was originally published in 1844 as a short story. If it were set in modern times, the following differences would have taken place with the story.
❐ There would have Prime Minister and President in place of king and queen.
❐ There would have been emails in stead of letters.
❐ The Minister D would have been hacked the Queen's email account.
❐ The Prefect of Police would have gone to a hacking expert in stead of a detective.
About the Author :
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), born in Boston, was an American author and poet who is best known for his imaginative tales of mystery and horror. Poe began his career by selling short stories to magazines. He later grew to become an editor, and is considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre. Many of his stories have been adaptable into movies. The character of detective Auguste Dupin also appears in two of his other short stories.