The Interpretation of Murder
Encyclopedia
The Interpretation of Murder, published in 2006, is Jed Rubenfeld
's first novel. The book is written in the first person perspective of Dr. Stratham Younger, supposedly an American psychoanalyst. Other events where he is not present he is informed upon so that he has enough knowledge to write and comment on them.
arrives in New York
on his first - and only - visit to the United States in 1909, a stunning débutante
is found bound and strangled in her penthouse
apartment, high above Broadway
. The following night, another beautiful heiress, Nora Acton, is discovered tied to a chandelier in her parents' home, viciously wounded and unable to speak or to recall her ordeal. Soon Freud and his American disciple, Stratham Younger, are enlisted to help Miss Acton recover her memory, and to piece together the killer's identity. It is a riddle that will test their skills to the limit and lead them on a journey into the darkest places of the city, and of the human mind.
Jed Rubenfeld
Jed Rubenfeld is the Robert R. Slaughter Professor of Law at Yale Law School. He is an expert on constitutional law, privacy, and the First Amendment.-Biography:...
's first novel. The book is written in the first person perspective of Dr. Stratham Younger, supposedly an American psychoanalyst. Other events where he is not present he is informed upon so that he has enough knowledge to write and comment on them.
Plot summary
On the morning after Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
arrives in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on his first - and only - visit to the United States in 1909, a stunning débutante
Debutante
A débutante is a young lady from an aristocratic or upper class family who has reached the age of maturity, and as a new adult, is introduced to society at a formal "début" presentation. It should not be confused with a Debs...
is found bound and strangled in her penthouse
Penthouse apartment
A penthouse apartment or penthouse is an apartment that is on one of the highest floors of an apartment building. Penthouses are typically differentiated from other apartments by luxury features.-History:...
apartment, high above Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
. The following night, another beautiful heiress, Nora Acton, is discovered tied to a chandelier in her parents' home, viciously wounded and unable to speak or to recall her ordeal. Soon Freud and his American disciple, Stratham Younger, are enlisted to help Miss Acton recover her memory, and to piece together the killer's identity. It is a riddle that will test their skills to the limit and lead them on a journey into the darkest places of the city, and of the human mind.
Characters in "The Interpretation of Murder"
- Sigmund FreudSigmund FreudSigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
- Carl JungCarl JungCarl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
- Abraham BrillAbraham BrillAbraham Arden Brill was an Austrian psychiatrist. He was born in Austria, and graduated from New York University, in 1901, M.D. Columbia University, 1903. He had arrived in the United States alone at the age of 13.After studies with C. G...
- Rose Brill
- Sándor FerencziSándor FerencziSándor Ferenczi was a Hungarian psychoanalyst, a key theorist of the psychoanalytic school and a close associate of Sigmund Freud.-Biography:...
- George B. McClellan, Mayor of New York City
- Stratham Younger, Dr. (fictional). The first person story teller in the book.
- Nora Acton (fictional). Based on Freud's case study of "Dora" (Ida Bauer)
- Mr. Harcourt Acton and Mrs. Acton, Nora's parents (fictional)
- George Banwell, Building contractor (fictional)
- Clara Banwell, George Banwell's wife (fictional)
- Jimmy Littlemore, Detective (fictional)
- Charles Hugel, Coroner (fictional)
- Granville Stanley Hall
- Ernest JonesErnest JonesAlfred Ernest Jones was a British neurologist and psychoanalyst, and Sigmund Freud’s official biographer. Jones was the first English-speaking practitioner of psychoanalysis and became its leading exponent in the English-speaking world where, as President of both the British Psycho-Analytical...
- Smith Ely Jeliffe, Dr, Publisher
- The "TriumvirateTriumvirateA triumvirate is a political regime dominated by three powerful individuals, each a triumvir . The arrangement can be formal or informal, and though the three are usually equal on paper, in reality this is rarely the case...
":- Charles Loomis Dana
- Bernard SachsBernard SachsBernard Sachs was a Jewish-American neurologist. After graduating with a B.A. from Harvard in 1878, Sachs travelled to Europe and studied under some of the most prominent physicians of the time, such as Adolf Kussmaul , Friedrich Daniel von Recklinghausen , Friedrich Goltz , Rudolf Virchow...
- M. Allen Starr
- Elizabeth Riverford (fictional)
- Mr. and Mrs. Biggs (fictional), the Acton family's servants
- Betty Longobardi (fictional)
- Chong Sing
- Leon Ling, alias William Leon
- Seamus Malley (fictional)
- Harry Thaw
- Elsie SigelElsie SigelElsie Sigel, a granddaughter of General Franz Sigel, is notable for her notorious murder at the age of 19 in New York City in 1909....
, granddaughter of General Franz SigelFranz SigelFranz Sigel was a German military officer, revolutionist and immigrant to the United States who was a teacher, newspaperman, politician, and served as a Union major general in the American Civil War.-Early life:... - Mr. and Mrs. Sigel, Elsie's parents
- Mabel, Mr. and Mrs. Sigel's niece
- Charles Johnson
- Susan A.(Susie) Merrill, Brothel owner
- Mr. and Mrs. Hyslop
- Mr. and Mrs. Fish
- Charles Becker, Police Sergeant
- Louis Riviere
Places, land marks and buildings in "The Interpretation of Murder"
- Manhattan BridgeManhattan BridgeThe Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan with Brooklyn . It was the last of the three suspension bridges built across the lower East River, following the Brooklyn and the Williamsburg bridges...
- Gramercy ParkGramercy ParkGramercy Park is a small, fenced-in private park in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park is at the core of both the neighborhood referred to as either Gramercy or Gramercy Park and the Gramercy Park Historic District...
- Clark UniversityClark UniversityClark University is a private research university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts.Founded in 1887, it is the oldest educational institution founded as an all-graduate university. Clark now also educates undergraduates...
- Metropolitan Museum
- Hotel Manhattan
- Waldorf-Astoria (not current)
- Coney IslandConey IslandConey Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
- The Balmoral Hotel (fictional)
- Gillender BuildingGillender BuildingThe Gillender Building was an early 20-story skyscraper in the Financial District of Manhattan in New York City. It stood on the northwest corner of Wall Street and Nassau Street, on a narrow strip of land along Nassau Street measuring only 26×73 feet...