Teaching The Purloined Letter

Ready for the most lovable take on making Poe accessible since Wishbone put out "The Pawloined Letter" in the mid-90s? Try out Shmoop's "The Purloined Letter" Teaching Guide, dedicated to Poe's least bloody—but perhaps most suspenseful—short story. Nobody dies, gets buried alive, or tortured. Nobody even goes mad. Instead, we've got a game of wits: no scaredy cats, just smarty-pants.

In this guide, you'll find

• an activity translating Poe's old-timey dialect ("meerschaum," anyone?) into a more accessible and high-interest edition.
• a character study of Daupin, one of Poe's most popular sleuths.
• a scaffolded argumentative essay that examines Dupin's morally…questionable behavior.

The action of "The Purloined Letter" couldn't be simpler—deceit, note-passing, and charismatic detectives—but that doesn't mean Poe's going to take it easy on us. Better bring in Shmoop for some private detective work.

What's Inside Shmoop's Literature Teaching Guides

Shmoop is a labor of love from folks who love to teach. Our teaching guides will help you supplement in-classroom learning with fun, engaging, and relatable learning materials that bring literature to life.

Inside each guide you'll find quizzes, activity ideas, discussion questions, and more—all written by experts and designed to save you time. Here are the deets on what you get with your teaching guide:

• 13 – 18 Common Core-aligned activities to complete in class with your students, including detailed instructions for you and your students
• Discussion and essay questions for all levels of students
• Reading quizzes for every chapter, act, or part of the text
• Resources to help make the book feel more relevant to your 21st-century students
• A note from Shmoop's teachers to you, telling you what to expect from teaching the text and how you can overcome the hurdles

Want more help teaching Teaching The Purloined Letter?

Check out all the different parts of our corresponding learning guide.