Cover via Open Library · Open Library
Book · Open Library
- Author
- Edgar Allan Poe
- First published
- 1845
- Editions
- 210
- Subjects
- Roman policier, Motion Pictures, Television, Buried treasure, Adapted for Television, ABC Weekend Specials, Fiction, Films
via Open Library
Key facts
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Genre
- Short story
- Published in
- Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper
- Media type
- Print ( Periodical )
- Publication date
- June 21, 1843
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- The Gold Bug Herpin.JPG
Show 6 more facts
- publication date
- 1842-00-00
- Commons category
- The Gold-Bug
- inception
- 1843-00-00
- title
- El escarabajo de oro
- first line
- Many years ago, I contracted an intimacy with a Mr. William Legrand.
- last line
- “Perhaps a couple of blows with a mattock were sufficient, while his coadjutors were busy in the pit; perhaps it required a dozen—who shall tell?”
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~20 min read
Article
"The Gold-Bug" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe published in 1843. The plot follows William Legrand, who becomes fixated on an unusual gold-colored bug that he has discovered. His servant Jupiter fears that Legrand is going insane and goes to Legrand's friend, an unnamed narrator who agrees to visit his old friend. Legrand pulls the other two into an adventure after deciphering a secret message that will lead to a buried treasure.
The story is set on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina and is often compared with Poe's "tales of ratiocination" as an early form of detective fiction. Poe became aware of the public's interest in secret writing in 1840 and asked readers to challenge his skills as a code-breaker. He took advantage of the popularity of cryptography as he was writing "The Gold-Bug", and the success of the story centers on one such cryptogram. Modern critics have judged the characterization of Legrand's servant Jupiter as racist, especially because of his dialect speech.