本論文以愛倫坡《莫爾格街兇殺案》（1841）及柯南道爾《花斑帶探案》 （1892）做比較之方式探討動物主體性在兩部作品的案件調查中所擁有的關鍵角色。第一章關注到語言及聲響的線索，探討在《莫爾格街兇殺案》中，因爲原先其辨識所引起的互相矛盾而導致許多不確定性，語言如何為解開案件的關鍵線索。同時，《花斑帶探案》中，案件當晚所聽到的低聲口哨揭開案件由人所為：此口哨是為了指導蛇去暗殺，但其來源被誤認為是鄰近的吉普賽人。第二章所關注的是動物模仿及動物虐待，探討紅毛猩猩及印度蛇的主體性是如何被人類的行為及對它們的虐待所引響。第三章則探討紅毛猩猩與印度蛇的措置所帶給動物自主性的影響，主張動物被帶進歐洲凸顯出文作品中人類所信的優越感。動物們的自然行為與歐洲城市的對立隨後導致殺人案發生。雖然偵探最終都解決各自的案件恢復社會秩序，他們透過揭露警察的無力動搖眾人所信的人類優越感。由此可知，這章所得出的結論為兩部作品給出同一個警示：帝國主義的本質脆弱。透過二文本的內文分析與比較，本論文提出偵探與非人類動物的互動關係挑戰人類中心主義與帝國主義邏輯。

This thesis draws a transatlantic comparison between two selected works, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841) by Edgar Allan Poe and “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” (1892) by Arthur Conan Doyle. I explore the role of animals in the narratives, focusing on an orangutan in “The Murders” and a snake in “The Speckled Band”. The first chapter discusses the clues of language and sound. It examines how because of linguistic uncertainty and contradictions, language is a major clue to solving the mystery in “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”. Meanwhile, in “The Adventure of the Speckled Band”, a low whistle heard the night of the murder reveals human involvement: it is one of the signals used to control the snake but is wrongfully attributed to nearby gypsies. The second chapter addresses imitation and mistreatment. This chapter argues how the imitation of human behavior by the orangutan in “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and the mistreatments given respectively by their captors influenced the animals’ subjectivity in their new environments. The third chapter examines the impact of dislocation on the orangutan’s and the snake’s agencies. It argues that the importations of the orangutan and the snake are caused by a belief in human supremacy. The animals’ natural behavior confronts the European urban locations which leads to the crimes. Although the detectives ultimately solve the mysteries and restore societal order, they destabilize the belief in human supremacy as they expose the inability of the police to solve the cases themselves. Consequently, this chapter concludes that the two narratives act as a warning that imperial power is inherently fragile. Through close textual readings and comparative analyses, this thesis demonstrates that the dynamic between detectives and nonhuman animals challenges anthropocentric and colonial logic.

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