Although "hardboiled" narratives became a popular literary genre in the early to mid-20th century, these writers were not the first to create characters and stories in this type. The first creators of the hardboiled detective were preceded by the first "hardboiled" literary detective, Edgar Allan Poe's C. Auguste Dupin of The Murders in the Rue Morgue. Although Poe is credited with inventing detective fiction in stories like Assassins and The Purloined Letter, his most "noir" story is The Man of the Crowd. It is a common belief among literary critics that the narrator of Poe's The Man of the Crowd is not of sound mind. They often point to the line that says "in my then peculiar state of mind", which clearly shows that the narrator, at least during the time of the story, did not possess the state of mind of a sane person. However, this idea comes not only from the content, but also from the style and form. Through the use of specific words, forms, context, and content, the reader is given information about the characters in the story, thus providing them with an accurate framework within which to interpret these characters. While Poe's narrator's sanity is a major issue in the story, so is the appearance of a "man of the crowd." Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Many words from other languages ​​are incorporated into The Man of the Crowd. Before the beginning of the main text, there is a quote that says: "ce grand malheur, de ne pouvoir etre seul" ("this great misfortune, of being incapable of being alone"). This quote foreshadows events to come: the theme of this story is identified; the "man of the crowd" is alone, although this first quote contradicts this fact. Throughout the story, the reader believes that the man the narrator follows around town is strange, and that he is "the man of the crowd", but eventually learns that this man is not as strange as he first appeared. time. This, perhaps, carries over to the idea that, no matter how you may appear, you cannot be alone. In addition to this introductory quote, there are many other examples of foreign phrases and words present in the text. In the first line of the actual text there is a German quote which is also found in the final sentence of the text. The French word "ennui" (meaning "boring" or "annoying") is also used in the second paragraph, along with a phrase written in a language that is not of Latin origin; I am not aware of either the translation or the language in which it is written. One wonders why Poe includes these phrases and words when most people will not know the translations; the most logical reason is to suggest that the narrator is crazy and incapable of keeping languages ​​in mind. This idea is confirmed halfway through the story: "in my then peculiar state of mind." During this time, the narrator is not entirely sane, so he explains details and vocabulary taken from foreign languages. The Man of the Crowd is constructed with highly detailed sentences that offer lengthy character descriptions. The sentences are not short, rambling thoughts, but rather long, detailed diatribes about the narrator's environment and those around him. The narrator simply sits in a bar, examining each person who passes by and classifying them into predetermined groups. He describes each group of people in detail, detailing the way and style in which the group members are dressed, as well as their hygienic and physical characteristics such as hair color, height and weight. For each group there is a fixed formula of clothing and physical appearance; he simply examines each person and then places them in his proscribed group. The amount of detail andthe length of many sentences can also serve as indicators of the narrator's unstable mind. Only the style explains this possibility, but when combined with the actual content there is little room for doubt. Poe also includes details about the environment in which the narrator finds himself, thus creating the noir atmosphere of the story and the other characters that fill it. The narrator, however, remains rather mysterious because little information is given about him. Instead, almost everything the reader learns about the narrator is learned through his actions and vocabulary. Very similar to The Man of the Crowd is Hawthorne's Wakefield, in which the main character, much like Poe's narrator, wanders the crowded streets of London in search of the "man of the crowd." However, Poe's narrator is following the man he believes to be his "man of the crowd", while Wakefield is trying to become the "man of the crowd" - to add meaning to his own life in his mind, at times. at least. Poe begins by stating that "it has been well said of a certain German book that 'er last sich nicht lessen' - it cannot be read." At the end of the story, the narrator realizes that "the man of the crowd", whom he had followed for the last 24 hours, cannot be read, exactly as this German book declares in the first line of the story. . Once the reader realizes this, he concludes that it is not the man followed who is the "man of the crowd", but rather the narrator. He is following this man because he doesn't fit into one of his predetermined groups of people; he is strange, "man of the crowd". At the end of the story, however, the reader learns that this person is actually not that strange; he is simply going about his business just like any other person would. The reader is thus led to the inevitable conclusion that the narrator is the real "man of the crowd". This conclusion can even be taken one step further: the reader believes that the narrator is following this random man; the action is itself bizarre, and thus places the narrator as "the man of the crowd". However, the reader also follows a random man, in this case the narrator. It then becomes apparent that the reader himself could be seen as "the man of the crowd", as he is committing the same unusual acts as the narrator. This aspect of the story helps the reader relate to the narrator and helps them draw conclusions regarding the narrator's true state of mind; is he really crazy, as most critics believe, or is he simply like the reader and perfectly sane? After all, both the narrator and the reader are essentially doing the same thing: following a man who appears strange and strange, albeit in different ways. Hawthorne's Wakefield has a similar theme: the story is told by observers who find something strange in the behavior of an inhabitant of a crowded city, of a citizen otherwise indistinguishable from those around him. The story describes a man who left his wife and home in London and established another residence a block away from his wife's. He lives there secretly for twenty years without his wife's knowledge, only to return and live out the remaining years at home. Poe's narrator believes that some men cannot be read, such as "the man of the crowd." Hawthorne's narrator is equally certain that nothing should interfere with one's ability to effectively read someone's character in person, as they are the character of a story or book. Hawthorne spends a considerable portion of the novel describing Wakefield's life during these twenty years of absence: Wakefield often runs to his wife's house, spies on her, and rushes back to his apartment a block away. Like Poe, Hawthorne sets his characters in the busy streets of London, thus making them imperceptible in the crowd. Wakefield,however, he enters the crowd to be discovered. He becomes Poe's "man of the crowd," but without Poe's narrator's desire not to know himself. He imagines footsteps following him and a distant voice calling his name, but he cannot escape his own insignificance because he cannot force recognition on anyone other than himself. After ten years of separation, one day he collides with his wife in a crowded street; they are facing each other, but although they look directly into each other's eyes, she does not recognize him: he is just a face in the crowd. The narrator travels into the mind of Wakefield's wife, to observe that she was partly aware of a quiet selfishness that had faded in her inactive mind. There are three compelling forces in Wakefield, as constructed by the narrator. It is unclear, however, whether or not these contradict Wakefield's character, or whether he offers them as possible reasons for his unusual behavior. The first is that, unlike Poe's narrator, Wakefield wants to be seen. He doesn't want to blend in with the crowd, he wants to stand out; to be "the man of the crowd". Wakefield believes he is doing something that elevates him from the crowd, but he doesn't believe he can truly stand out unless some observer does so; his desire to stand out, in effect, is nullified. The second compulsion is that Wakefield regularly puts himself in situations where he is in danger of being discovered: he continually re-enacts his escape from insignificance in an attempt to appear more significant. . The third compulsion is slightly different: he refuses to return home, because he has been "made obstinate" by the "inadequate sensation which, according to him, had been produced in Mrs. Wakefield's bosom. He will not go back until she is frightened." half to death" - until he saw some evidence of her mourning for him. This mourning, he believes, would give him proof that he means something to her. Wakefield then uses his absence to elicit a reaction from his wife which he will use later to confirm his own importance or insignificance. He does not want to abandon his life, but rather wants to live it at a comfortable distance, to build his life based on his wife's response to his absence. He wants to make a living by connecting his present life, his wife's response to his disappearance and what he imagines his previous life would have been like if he had lived it. In this way, Wakefield hopes to gain some control over his life that he otherwise would not have had, to feel not so anonymous, not so much a “man of the crowd.” By using many different components to portray the narrator, mood, and atmosphere, the author manages to strengthen the message of the story. When all the components complement each other, the story becomes more clearer than it would be if only one component was used to convey its atmosphere and message. Poe's narrator and Hawthorne's Wakefield are both mysterious characters: both seek to stand out, consciously or unconsciously, from the massive London crowd, and become "the man of the crowd." However, at the end of the stories, the reader learns that, despite the characters' best efforts, the Man of the Crowd's introductory quote sums it all up; it is not possible to be alone, to stand out, to be "the man of the crowd"; rather, you can only maintain your sanity if you accept the inevitability of being just another face in the crowd. Works Cited Armistead, Allyson. "Edgar Allan Poe's Man of the Crowd as a Satire of the 19th-Century Penny Press." Article on the Internet.Brevda, William. "Search for the original sign of noir: Poe's 'Man of the Crowd'". Mythosphere, 2.4 (2000): p 357-59. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Wakefield." 1835.Kennedy, J. Gerald. “The Limits of Reason: Poe's Deluded Detectives.”553-56.