DETECTIVE STORY & STRANGE FRUIT

The 20^th April 1841 saw the publication in Graham’s Magazine of a short story by Edgar Alan Poe (then the editor of that publication) entitled Murder in the Rue Morgue. It is reputed to be the first detective story in the ‘English speaking world’. It was certainly the start of a style of fiction that is probably the most popular type of fiction read and seen today.

Poe’s detective, C. Auguste Dupin, is a man of method.  He uses what Poe describes as ‘ratiocination’ to solve the mysteries. Dupin's deductive prowess is first exhibited when he appears to read the narrator's mind by rationally tracing his train of thought for the previous fifteen minutes. Dupin's method is to identify with the criminal and put himself in his mind. By knowing everything that the criminal knows, he can solve any crime. In this method, he combines his scientific logic with artistic imagination. As an observer, he pays special attention to what is unintended, such as hesitation, eagerness or a casual or inadvertent word. The character also emphasizes the importance of reading and writing: many of his clues come from newspapers or written reports from the Prefect. This device also engages the reader, who follows along by reading the clues himself.

Illustration by Aubrey Beardsley of 

"The Murders in the Rue Morgue", 1895.

In the first Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet (1887), Doctor Watson compares Holmes to Dupin, to which Holmes replies: "No doubt you think you are complimenting me ... In my opinion, Dupin was a very inferior fellow... He had some analytical genius, no doubt; but he was by no means such a phenomenon as Poe appears to imagine". Alluding to the incident where Dupin deduces what his friend is thinking despite their having walked together in silence for a quarter of an hour, Holmes remarks: "That trick of his breaking in on his friend's thoughts with an apropos remark... is really very showy and superficial". Indeed, in 1908 the first film based on Murder in the Rue Morgue was made, not as a Dupin story but was actually titled “Sherlock Holmes in The Great Mystery”.

Dupin is referred to time and again in other writers stories; however, Poe wrote only two other stories featuring him, The Mystery of Marie Rogêt (1842) and The Purloined Letter (1844).

Poe’s stories have led to some 242 films being made. His story most adapted for the screen is The Tell-Tale Heart; however, The Rue Morgue hasn’t done too badly with about 8 commercial adaptations.  The Purloined Letter and The Mystery of Marie Rogêt have also been adapted.

This 1932 adaptation takes quite a few liberties, but then they did that in 1930's.

There are two matters relating to Civil Rights which were also highlighted on the 20th April. In 1871 the Civil Rights Act of 1871 became law and in 1939 Billie Holiday recorded the song “Strange Fruit”.

For most of its history, the The Civil Rights Act 1871 had very little effect. The legal community did not think the statute served as a check on state officials and few cases were brought under the statute.

Circumstances changed in 1961 when the Supreme Court of the United States articulated three purposes that underlay the statute: "1) 'to override certain kinds of state laws'; 2) to provide 'a remedy where state law was inadequate'; and 3) to provide 'a federal remedy where the state remedy, though adequate in theory, was not available in practice.'" Now the statute stands as one of the most powerful authorities with which State and federal courts may protect those whose rights are deprived.

This was recorded in London in (I believe) 1958 or 1959, some twenty years after her first recording of the song. She died in July of 1959.