Book Anatomy · The Murders in the Rue Morgue
The Murders in the Rue Morgue: Commercial facts
13 lenses on commercial facts for The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6 L7 L8 L9 L10 L11 L12 L13
L1. Total word count. Count
1841, 13,885 words. See the full lens on the book page.
L2. Chapter count and average length. Count
1841, 13,885 words. See the full lens on the book page.
L3. Length against modern norms for the genre. Both
13,885 words. Modern crime and mystery often runs 70,000 to 90,000 words, so this is short for the shelf today. These ranges are rough trade norms, not rules.
At 13,885 words, this is a short story or novella, well below modern mystery novel length of 70,000 plus words. It is compact and focused, typical of 1841 periodical publication.
L4. First published as a serial or a volume? Research
1841, 13,885 words. See the full lens on the book page.
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L5. Serial instalment breaks and how each ends. Both
The story was published as a single piece in 1841, not serialised. Each chapter could serve as a natural break: chapter 2 ends with mystery, chapter 3 with discovery, chapter 4 with revelation, chapter 5 with resolution.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5
L6. Sales and reviews in its day. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L7. Adaptations: film, TV, stage, count and type. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L8. Sequels and series. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L9. Modern books in the same mould (comps). AI
Modern comps: Sherlock Holmes stories by Conan Doyle (analytical detective solving impossible crimes), Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot (superior mind versus police), contemporary locked room mysteries like Anthony Horowitz's Magpie Murders.
L10. Who it would be shelved for today. AI
Shelved for mystery and crime readers. Appeals to fans of classic detective fiction, locked room puzzles, and analytical protagonists. Also shelved in literary classics and short story collections.
L11. Content notes. AI
Content notes: graphic violence (murder of two women), period language regarding animals and race, descriptions of blood and brutality. Not suitable for young children.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 5
With one determined sweep of its muscular arm it nearly severed her head from her body. (Ch 5, para 7)
L12. A modern pitch line and blurb. AI
When two women are brutally murdered in a locked room with no escape, only one man can solve the impossible crime: the brilliant analyst C. Auguste Dupin. A groundbreaking tale of reason triumphing over mystery.
L13. Title style against genre norms. AI
The title is direct and literal, naming the location and crime. It matches the story's emphasis on observable fact. Modern mystery titles often use puns or metaphors; this one is straightforward and factual.
Ask The Murders in the Rue Morgue a question about its craft (free beta)
Answers cite chapter and paragraph, and every quote is checked against the text. (3 free questions a day).
Weekly email: coming soon
One short email a week on new AI tools for authors. Sign up opens soon.