1. Introduction
“Miss Marple was born at the age of sixty-five to seventy–which as with Poirot, proved
unfortunate, because she was going to have to last a long time in my life. If I had had any second sight I would have provided myself with a precocious schoolboy as my first detective; then he could have grown old with me” (Agatha Christie 2011, 436) This is what Agatha Christie, the queen of crime fiction, stated in her autobiography about one of her most famous characters, the elderly female amateur detective Miss Jane Marple. It is doubtful, however, whether a “precocious schoolboy” would have ever reached the same worldwide fame as the sweet, but shrewd, spinster lady from St Mary Mead, who has won our hearts ever since her first appearance in The Murder at the Vicarage. By referring to three descriptive Miss Marple novels, The Murder at Vicarage, A Pocket full of Rye and A Murder is Announced, this paper will show that her power lies not in superhuman analytical abilities or in the meticulous collection of facts. Miss Marple utilises her socially marginal position in order to manipulate other characters, the reader as well as social and cultural conventions and stereotypes. Before being able to examine Miss Marple’s method as a detective in more detail, it is important to have a look at the history of female detective fiction as well as its connection with gender theories. Therefore we will examine if and how female detectives challenge stereotypical gender role expectations. Then the paper will turn to Miss Marple as an important example of a female detective, firstly describing her character and then mainly focusing on her investigation methods. We will see how Miss Marple differs from her male colleagues Sherlock Holme...
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Distinctive voices may be created by the composer’s deliberate subversion of the reader’s expectations. Within the text ‘The Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender’, Day’s process in the subverting of the stereotypical hardboiled detective genre through her portrayal of her female protagonist, Claudia Valentine challenges the reader’s perceptions of modern world women in a late 20th century context. Claudia’s masculinised voice shows her choice to prevent her femininity, the use of masculine expressions and crude imagery comparing her finding to a “sh*t sandwich on three-day old bread” and describing Sally Villos as a “cold hard b...
It is very interesting to note how the conventions of 1940’s hardboiled private eye fiction translate into the 1970’s. The low-rent drabness of the genre loses much of its allure. The dark shadows and long nights of urban Los Angeles become the bright lights and warm sunshine of Malibu beaches. The detective’s normally snappy dialogue turns into joking asides. Marlowe’s hardboiled narration becomes the self-conscious mutterings of a lonely man talking to himself. The romantic myth of a man set apart from the city is turned on its head as a pathetic man living alone with his cat.
Professor’s comment: This student perceptively examines the role of the city as a setting and frame for detective fiction. Focusing on two early examples, Poe’s “Murders in the Rue Morgue” and Hoffmann’s “Mademoiselle de Scudery,” both set in Paris, his sophisticated essay illuminates the “cityness” or framed constraint that renders the city a backdrop conducive to murder—such as the city’s crowded, constricted nature, promoting vertical rather than outward movement and increasing hostility and the fact that so much urban life occurs at night, a reversal of the natural order and facilitating illicit activity. He compels us to look in new ways both at the city and at detective fiction.
Susan Elizabeth George is a competent British author with a rich background. She wrote many distinguished books and won numerous awards, which all began when she was a teacher at El Toro High School. She writes mystery murders, which gained widespread popularity. From an article from The New York Times, Mel Gussow described George as ''a master of the English mystery, with an ear for local language and an eye for the inner workings of Scotland Yard'' (Gussow). George has a productive and fulfilling life accompanied by her many successful novels and awards.
Woolrich reinforced the detective fictions of yesterday, introducing to the American audience new detectives, who not only wheels a gun but also uses their knowledge of psychoanalysis to catch the perpetrator and solve the crime. Though Woolrich extends his knowledge of the human mind, he, just like MacDonald, Chandler and Hammett gives reference to 18th-century authors which include Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe.
Vronsky, Peter. Female Serial Killers: How and Why Women Become Monsters. New York: Berkley, 2007. Print.
In traditional hard-boiled American detective fiction there are many themes that seem to transcend all novels. One of those themes is the concept of power and the role in which it plays in the interaction and development of characters. More specifically, the role of women within the novels can be scrutinized to better understand the power they hold over the other characters, their own lives and the direction of the story. Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon exemplifies the varying ways in which female characters attempt to obtain and utilize power in hopes of influencing, manipulating and succeeding.
Nothing is ever what it seems in this in Agatha Christie’s novel, the limitations between reality and fiction or rather truth and deceit are blurring and real. The acclaimed novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd integrates the subtle techniques of hidden meaning from the narrator by means of which a special narrator-reader connection is created and trust is assumed from the narrator by the reader. This coalition has the reader enter a novel where deductions, details and misleading pathways play a starring role. The most misleading pathway would be that of the idea of truth. The truth in this novel, while being the main goal, is subjective and is able to be twisted while not actually becoming a false statement by the narrator while his partner
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The plot is entertaining and suspenseful which allows it to hold up to the standards of the list. Foreshadowing maintains interest, and is a prominent part of the suspenseful nature of the plot. After the first murder of Mrs. Ascher, Hastings believed that the crime is a singular event, but Poirot stated, “This is only the beginning” (Christie 22). The author uses a delightful example of foreshadowing to hint to the later murders. This keeps the plot suspenseful which makes one want to continue reading. After discussing possible coincidences on the day of the murder with the victims’ friends and families, Poirot realized, “I tell you my friends, it cannot be a coincidence. Three crimes---and every time a man selling stockings and spying out the land” (Christie 211). The finding of clues allows the plot to continue, thus maintaining the reader’s interest and preventing the story from becoming too tedious to enjoy. While Monsieur Poirot finished pronouncing the name of the murderer, the narration stated, “Two detectives...
Mysteries have always held great fascination for the human mind, not least because of the aura that surrounds them and the realm of the Unknown into which they delve. Coupled with the human propensity of being particularly curious about aspects which elude the average mind, the layer of intrigue that glosses over such puzzles makes for a heady combination of the literary and the popular. In the canon of detective fiction worldwide, no detective has tickled the curious reader’s imagination and held it in thrall as much as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. The 221-B, Baker Street, London ‘amateur’ detective combines a rare blend of intellectual prowess and sharp wit to crack a series of baffling riddles.
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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was first published in 1926, and is one of many of Christie’s Hercule Poirot Mystery novels. In this novel, we obtain a deeper understanding of the impact social standings has and the influence it has on how people perceive you. The mystery takes place in an era where social class was extremely divided, and it is shown throughout the novel how a character’s social class can hinder or help. Even when the characters are faced with a crime, and the person who did it is unknown, social class still plays a magnificent role in unraveling the explanation of who would have committed something as dreadful as murdering a man. The Murder of Roger
“Orient Express is arguably her most enduring work as far as the average reader goes, due to the daring gimmick the author was able to pull off: they all did it ("Murder on the Orient" 155). This critical comment made by Greg Wilson gives an accurate depiction to the mystery that Agathe Christie builds up in her book. The Murder on the Orient Express has many aspects that played big roles in creating the novel. The way the author uses the aspects, such as plot, setting, the author 's style, and the characters are what made the book suspenseful and intriguing to the reader.
Christie’s father died when she was young. She was raised by her mom. She grew up in family full of stories- from dramatic, suspenseful tales her mother told her at bedtime, to her elder sister’s frightening creations. Agatha Christie was encouraged by her mother to write poetry and stories from a very early age. When sh...