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The five games of Mr Edgar Allan Poe : a study of strategic thought in “The Purloined Letter”

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Read, Daniel (2020) The five games of Mr Edgar Allan Poe : a study of strategic thought in “The Purloined Letter”. Rationality and Society, 32 (4). pp. 369-401. doi:10.1177/1043463120961779

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/1043463120961779

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Abstract

This paper investigates strategic thinking in the fictional world of Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Purloined Letter’. This short story has been rightly celebrated for its explicit analysis of strategic reasoning in which players attempt to outwit one another, which involves accounting for how they are all attempting to outwit one another. I differ from previous analyses by examining how the actors can often be wrong in their explicit analysis and consider the strategic actions they take rather than those they claim to take. Using elementary game theory, I describe the five games (and suggest a sixth) that make up the strategic heart of the story. These include games of signalling, screening, negotiation, revenge and a unique game called the ‘pincer’. I consider how literary sources like ‘The Purloined Letter’ can provide insights into the applicability of strategic analysis in the ‘real world’.

Item Type: Journal Article
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory
Divisions: Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School > Behavioural Science
Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): Economics -- Psychological aspects, Game theory, Decision making -- Econometric models
Journal or Publication Title: Rationality and Society
Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd.
ISSN: 1043-4631
Official Date: 2020
Dates:
DateEvent
2020Published
17 August 2020Accepted
Volume: 32
Number: 4
Page Range: pp. 369-401
DOI: 10.1177/1043463120961779
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Publisher Statement: Posted ahead of print. Read, Daniel (2020) The five games of Mr Edgar Allan Poe : a study of strategic thought in “The Purloined Letter”. Rationality and Society . (In Press) Copyright © 2020 (Copyright Holder). Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications. DOI: [DOI]
Access rights to Published version: Open Access
RIOXX Funder/Project Grant:
Project/Grant IDRIOXX Funder NameFunder ID
ES/P008976/1Economic and Social Research Councilhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000269
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