Book Anatomy · The Murders in the Rue Morgue
The Murders in the Rue Morgue: Prose style
17 lenses on prose style 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: H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 H7 H8 H9 H10 H11 H12 H13 H14 H15 H16 H17
H1. Readability score per chapter. Count
Flesch reading ease for the whole book is about 59 (higher is easier; 60 to 70 is plain English).
Reading ease per chapter, chapter by chapter
H2. Vocabulary range. Count
2,745 different words. On average 52 in every 100 words are new within a 500 word stretch. 1,549 words appear only once.
H3. Signature words: what this author uses far more than others. Count
frenchman, shrill, dupin, nail, gruff. See the full lens on the book page.
H4. Adverb and adjective rates. Count
About 17.79 words ending in 'ly' and 12.17 likely adjectives per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
'ly' words per 1,000, chapter by chapter
H5. Share of weak verbs such as "was" and "had". Count
'Was', 'were', 'had', 'is' and 'are' make up 4.1% of all words.
H6. Passive voice rate. Count
About 14.9% of sentences use a passive form such as 'was taken'. (rough estimate from word lists)
H7. Variety of sentence openings. Count
The five most common first words start 39% of sentences: the, i, it, he, a.
| First word | Sentences |
|---|---|
| the | 123 |
| i | 67 |
| it | 49 |
| he | 29 |
| a | 20 |
| you | 19 |
| in | 18 |
| there | 18 |
| this | 17 |
| we | 15 |
H8. Rhythm: how much sentence length varies. Count
Sentence length varies by 0.63 of its mean on average (higher means a more varied rhythm).
Variation per chapter, chapter by chapter
H9. Similes and metaphors: how many, and of what kind. Both
14 likely similes ('like a', 'as ... as'): 1.01 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Ch 2, para 5: “After a thorough investigation of every portion of the house, without farther discovery, the party made its way into a small paved yard in the rear of the …
Ch 2, para 14: “——Odenheimer, restaurateur. This witness volunteered his testimony. Not speaking French, was examined through an interpreter. Is a native of Amsterdam. Was passing the house at the time of …
Ch 2, para 18: “Four of the above-named witnesses, being recalled, deposed that the door of the chamber in which was found the body of Mademoiselle L. was locked on the inside …
Ch 2, para 18: “Four of the above-named witnesses, being recalled, deposed that the door of the chamber in which was found the body of Mademoiselle L. was locked on the inside …
Ch 2, para 22: “Paul Dumas, physician, deposes that he was called to view the bodies about day-break. They were both then lying on the sacking of the bedstead in the chamber …
Ch 3, para 2: The permission was obtained, and we proceeded at once to the Rue Morgue. This is one of those miserable thoroughfares which intervene between the Rue Richelieu and the …
Few explicit similes or metaphors. The story relies on literal description and logical analysis rather than figurative language. Dupin's mind is compared to analytical power itself.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 4
H10. Senses used: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste. Both
Share of sense words. sound 56%, sight 34%, touch 7%, taste 2%, smell 1%. (rough estimate from word lists)
| Sense | Words |
|---|---|
| sound | 88 |
| sight | 53 |
| touch | 11 |
| taste | 3 |
| smell | 1 |
Sight dominates: careful observation of crime scene details, windows, nails, blood. Sound features strongly: the unidentifiable voice heard by witnesses. Touch appears in physical examination. Smell and taste absent.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4
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)
H11. Repetition, lists of three and other patterns. Both
5 lists of three in the pattern 'a, b and c': 0.36 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Lists of witness names and conflicting accounts in chapter 2. Repetition of locked room impossibility. Three-part structure in Dupin's deductions: physical evidence, voice analysis, animal capability.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4
H12. Old words that may trip modern readers. Count
Old forms that may trip a modern reader: whence.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| whence | 2 |
H13. Showing against telling, with examples. AI
Heavy showing through Dupin's examination of the crime scene in chapter 3, where readers see the broken nail and hidden spring. Chapter 4 shows the sailor's terror and reluctance before he tells his story.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 4, 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)
H14. How much description comes before action. Both
Chapter 1 opens with extensive character description before action. Chapter 2 presents newspaper accounts before investigation begins. Chapters 3 onwards blend description with active investigation.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3
H15. Filter words such as "saw", "felt", "heard". Count
Filter words ('saw', 'felt', 'heard' and so on): 3.96 per 1,000 words.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| heard | 17 |
| thought | 11 |
| saw | 10 |
| seemed | 8 |
| felt | 4 |
| knew | 4 |
| watched | 1 |
H16. Shifts in tone. AI
Shifts from intellectual companionship in chapter 1 to sensational horror in chapter 2. Chapter 3 becomes methodical and analytical. Chapter 4 builds tension. Chapter 5 resolves with confession and relief.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5
H17. How the comedy works. AI
Light comedy in chapter 1 when Dupin deduces the narrator's thoughts about the actor Chantilly. Dark irony throughout: police incompetence contrasted with Dupin's brilliance. The revelation that the murderer is an animal undercuts all assumptions.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 4
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)
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)
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