The Devil in the White City was written by Erik Larson, a credible author due to his extensive education that included both the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University and his literary award nominations and win. The one win was the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime, which he one for this book about the intersection of the lives of an architect named Daniel Burnham and a doctor by day and serial killer by night Mr. H. H. Holmes. While Burnham and his business partner were commissioned to build the Chicago's World Fair of 1893, Holmes built a mansion next to it and used the fair to mask his abductions and murders of beautiful women. As these events did at one time occur, Larson's purpose is to both tell the story and entertain his audience, a general one comprising of older kids, teens, and adults, while doing so. In an attempt to accomplish his purpose, Larson appeals to ethos and uses a third-person point-of-view. In order to tell this story in an entertaining way and as accurately as possible, Larson uses quotes from people who were involved in the scandal and/or knew of the people involved. Doing that makes the story seem more credible because the reader really starts to realize that the events did take place and that barely anything, if any aspects at all, in the book is make believe. By using a third-person point of view, Larson gives flexibility to his writing and allows the reader to visually imagine everything and everyone involved in the plot because he is able to describe them and the events clearly. Although the story will eventually be told and will hopefully be entertaining, neither of Larson’s purposes are being accomplished as of yet (about page 40) in the book. So far, he has set up the background very well by describing who the involved people were and talking about how Burnham met his wife, met his partner, and got picked to build the fair, but has yet to actually get to the meat of the story.
Chicago's World Fair of 1893
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