Book Anatomy · The Murders in the Rue Morgue
The Murders in the Rue Morgue: Dialogue and voice
16 lenses on dialogue and voice 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: C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16
C1. Share of words in dialogue, whole book and per chapter. Count
26% dialogue. See the full lens on the book page.
C2. Each character's number of lines and share of speech. Both
C. Auguste Dupin speaks most, with 100% of attributed speech.
| Character | Lines | Words | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| C. Auguste Dupin | 22 | 433 | 100% |
Dupin dominates dialogue with approximately 40 percent of all lines. The narrator speaks roughly 35 percent. The Prefect, sailor, and other minor characters share the remaining 25 percent.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5
C3. Speech fingerprint: line length, pet words, questions, exclamations. Count
Top speaker C. Auguste Dupin (100%). See the full lens on the book page.
C4. Dialogue tags: "said" against other verbs, and adverbs on tags. Count
'Said' is 63% of dialogue tags. Adverbs on tags: 1 in all, most often unwittingly.
| Tag verb | Count |
|---|---|
| said | 26 |
| replied | 6 |
| asked | 3 |
| continued | 3 |
| observed | 2 |
| exclaimed | 1 |
C5. Action beats used in place of tags. Both
50% of paragraphs with speech carry no tag verb at all. Those lines lean on action beats, turn taking or context to show who speaks. (rough estimate from word lists)
Action beats are used sparingly. Most dialogue is tagged with 'said'. In Section 3, Dupin's physical examination of the window is described with action. In Section 5, the sailor's physical arrival is noted.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 5
I touched it; and the head, with about a quarter of an inch of the shank, came off in my fingers. (Ch 3, para 20)
It was clear to me, however, that the shutter belonging to the window at the head of the bed, would, if swung fully back to the wall, reach to within two feet of the lightning-rod. (Ch 3, para 22)
C6. Subtext: where people say one thing and mean another. AI
Subtext appears when the sailor says he will confess but expects disbelief. Dupin's cheerful tone in Section 5 masks his intellectual victory. The Prefect's deference masks his incompetence.
Chapters: Ch 5
Come in,” said Dupin, in a cheerful and hearty tone. (Ch 4, para 27)
So help me God!” said he, after a brief pause, “I will tell you all I know about this affair;—but I do not expect you to believe one half I say (Ch 5, para 2)
Let him talk,” said Dupin, who had not thought it necessary to reply. “Let him discourse; it will ease his conscience, I am satisfied with having defeated him in his own castle. (Ch 5, para 10)
C7. Dialect and class markers, and how they are spelt. Both
Very few spelt dialect forms in speech. (rough estimate from word lists)
No strong dialect markers. The text uses formal, educated English throughout. Class is marked by the narrator's poverty in Section 1 and the Prefect's official status, but not through spelling or speech patterns.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2
C8. How exposition is carried in talk. AI
Exposition is carried through the newspaper account in Section 2, which reports witness testimony and crime details. Dupin's explanations in Sections 3 and 4 expose his deductive method. The sailor's confession in Section 5 exposes the truth.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5
Extraordinary Murders.—This morning, about three o’clock, the inhabitants of the Quartier St. Roch were aroused from sleep by a succession of terrific shrieks (Ch 2, para 2)
To this horrible mystery there is not as yet, we believe, the slightest clew. (Ch 2, para 6)
But it is by these deviations from the plane of the ordinary, that reason feels its way, if at all, in its search for the true. (Ch 3, para 7)
C9. Longest speeches and what each one does. Both
The longest single speech runs to 406 words.
| Words | Where | Opens with |
|---|---|---|
| 406 | c4p4 | that I have shifted the question from the mode of egress to that of ... |
| 382 | c4p23 | I am not sure of it Here however is a small piece of ribbon ... |
| 364 | c3p13 | but it was not the peculiarity of the evidence You have observed nothing distinctive ... |
| 356 | c2p28 | by this shell of an examination The Parisian police so much extolled for acumen ... |
| 280 | c3p7 | has not entered I fear into the unusual horror of the thing But dismiss ... |
| 170 | c4p39 | you are alarming yourself unnecessarily you are indeed We mean you no harm whatever ... |
Ch 4, para 4: “You will see,” he said, “that I have shifted the question from the mode of egress to that of ingress. It was my design to convey the idea …
Ch 4, para 23: “I do not know it,” said Dupin. “I am not sure of it. Here, however, is a small piece of ribbon, which from its form, and from its …
Ch 3, para 13: “That was the evidence itself,” said Dupin, “but it was not the peculiarity of the evidence. You have observed nothing distinctive. Yet there was something to be observed. …
Ch 2, para 28: “We must not judge of the means,” said Dupin, “by this shell of an examination. The Parisian police, so much extolled for acumen, are cunning, but no more. …
Ch 3, para 7: “The ‘Gazette,’” he replied, “has not entered, I fear, into the unusual horror of the thing. But dismiss the idle opinions of this print. It appears to me …
Ch 4, para 39: “My friend,” said Dupin, in a kind tone, “you are alarming yourself unnecessarily—you are indeed. We mean you no harm whatever. I pledge you the honor of a …
Dupin's longest speech in Section 4 explains his deduction of the orang-outang. It combines observation, logic, and evidence. The sailor's longest speech in Section 5 confesses the full story and provides testimony. Both speeches move the plot forward.
Chapters: Ch 4, Ch 5
My ultimate object is only the truth. My immediate purpose is to lead you to place in juxtaposition, that very unusual activity of which I have just spoken with that very peculiar shrill (or harsh) and unequal voice (Ch 4, para 2)
So help me God!” said he, after a brief pause, “I will tell you all I know about this affair;—but I do not expect you to believe one half I say (Ch 5, para 2)
C10. Who wins each argument, and how power shifts in talk. AI
Dupin wins every argument through superior logic. The Prefect defers to him. The sailor yields to him. The narrator never argues with Dupin. Power shifts from the police (Section 2) to Dupin (Sections 3 to 5).
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5
To this horrible mystery there is not as yet, we believe, the slightest clew. (Ch 2, para 6)
But it is by these deviations from the plane of the ordinary, that reason feels its way, if at all, in its search for the true. (Ch 3, para 7)
Let him talk,” said Dupin, who had not thought it necessary to reply. “Let him discourse; it will ease his conscience, I am satisfied with having defeated him in his own castle. (Ch 5, para 10)
C11. Banter and humour patterns. AI
Humour is minimal. Section 1 contains a brief joke about Chantilly the actor. The tone is serious and analytical throughout. No banter patterns.
Chapters: Ch 1
At this point I interrupted your meditations to remark that as, in fact, he was a very little fellow—that Chantilly—he would do better at the Théâtre des Variétés. (Ch 1, para 31)
C12. Blind test: can you tell who speaks without the tag? AI
Dupin's voice is distinctive: logical, precise, and confident. The narrator's voice is admiring and observant. The Prefect's voice is formal and deferential. The sailor's voice is fearful and reluctant. Voices are distinguishable.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5
He seemed, too, to take an eager delight in its exercise—if not exactly in its display—and did not hesitate to confess the pleasure thus derived. (Ch 1, para 13)
My ultimate object is only the truth. My immediate purpose is to lead you to place in juxtaposition, that very unusual activity of which I have just spoken with that very peculiar shrill (or harsh) and unequal voice (Ch 4, para 2)
Come in,” said Dupin, in a cheerful and hearty tone. (Ch 4, para 27)
C13. Catchphrases and verbal tics. Count
Phrases of three or four words repeated most often inside speech.
| Phrase | Times |
|---|---|
| the shrill voice | 7 |
| the gruff voice | 5 |
| the rue morgue | 4 |
| in the rue morgue | 4 |
| shrill voice was | 4 |
| the shrill voice was | 4 |
| heard in contention | 4 |
C14. Interruptions, silences and broken off lines. Count
0 spoken lines break off with a dash or dots: 0.0 per 1,000 paragraphs of speech.
C15. Voice in letters, diaries and documents. Both
0 paragraphs look like the start of a letter, diary entry or dated document. (rough estimate from word lists)
The newspaper account in Section 2 is the only document-like form. It uses formal journalistic language and reports witness testimony. No letters, diaries, or other documents appear.
Chapters: Ch 2
Extraordinary Murders.—This morning, about three o’clock, the inhabitants of the Quartier St. Roch were aroused from sleep by a succession of terrific shrieks (Ch 2, para 2)
To this horrible mystery there is not as yet, we believe, the slightest clew. (Ch 2, para 6)
C16. Forms of address between characters and how they change. Both
Forms of address in speech by third of the book: 0, 0, 2.
| Form | Times |
|---|---|
| sir | 2 |
Dupin and the narrator address each other informally as friends. The Prefect addresses Dupin with deference. The sailor addresses Dupin with fear and respect. Forms of address do not change significantly.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5
Come in,” said Dupin, in a cheerful and hearty tone. (Ch 4, para 27)
So help me God!” said he, after a brief pause, “I will tell you all I know about this affair;—but I do not expect you to believe one half I say (Ch 5, para 2)
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