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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Today people such as Agatha Christie have carried on the crime genre which in my opinion is successful. The use of technology in the art of forensic science in Doyle’s books is why, in my opinion, they are successful because in those days the technology had just started and they were intrigued by it.
Bradburry, Ray. "The Utterly Perfect Murder." The Language of Literature. Ed. Arthur N. Applebee. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, 1997. 799-805. Print.
Jack Laidlaw is a universe apart from other examples of detectives, he examines the more intriguing issues of how and why people can commit the reprehensible crime of murder and the harrowing aftermath of crime and violence. Jack Laidlaw can deeply understand people more than anyone could ever imagine. Jack Laidlaw is an odd sort of detective, and this is an odd sort of novel. He lives and works in the gloomy, cheerless heart of urban Glasgow; and he keeps the works of "Camus"," Unamuno" and "Kierkegaard"in his top desk drawer, "where other detectives would normally rather keep their secret stashes of liquor." Unlike many other detectives with uppity tastes in literature, no one congratulates him for this or encourages him in any way; the whole world tells him that However, he persists in trying to understand crimes as well as solve them: “You want to live as if the rest of the world was just a necessary evil and that you have to be a monster to be a criminal,it's not true, it's all in peoples concealed heads. That may be a nuisance to you.
In both of Glaspell’s pieces, the main character, Mrs. Wright, is accused of killing her husband. Minnie Wright was a farmer’s wife who didn’t have much contact with the outside world. The murder investigation took place inside her home. Three men are used to investigate the case and two women come with them. The women were no help to the men, but solved the case but also protected Mrs. Wright from any wrongdoing. The three men tried to find a motive, but the case remained unsolved. Susan Glaspell show’s in the two pieces how women are disregarded in investigative matters.
Miss Seeton is less conventional and younger Miss Marple type of character who always finds herself embroiled in farcical situations that she had nothing to do with. A teacher at a London art school, the forty something year old Miss Seeton stumbles upon the murder of a French prostitute which turns out not to be local. Bold and moral to the core, the forty something year old woman fights off the would be murderer with nothing but her old umbrella. However, when she reports the crime to the Scotland Yard, she finds herself in a tight spot, as she cannot describe the man though she can draw a perfect rendition of what he looks like. But drawing the picture of the man for the police makes her the target for a crime ring that is determined to find her and exact their revenge while she is holidaying at Plummergen in
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.
Social gender separations are displayed in the manner that men the view Wright house, where Mr. Wright has been found strangled, as a crime scene, while the women who accompany them clearly view the house as Mrs. Wright’s home. From the beginning the men and the women have are there for two separate reasons —the men, to fulfill their duties as law officials, the women, to prepare some personal items to take to the imprisoned Mrs. Wright. Glaspell exposes the men’s superior attitudes, in that they cannot fathom women to making a contribution to the investigation. They leave them unattended in a crime scene. One must question if this would be the same action if they were men. The county attorney dismisses Mrs. Hale’s defenses of Minnie as “l...
Agatha Christie depicts a descriptive, fictional murder mystery in the novel ABC Murders. With the help of the narrator, Captain Arthur Hastings, Hercule Poirot solves the murders of four victims who are killed in alphabetical order by Franklin Clarke, more commonly known as ABC. The story elicits copious high points but the rare low point as well. Examples of these aspects can be found within the plot, setting, characters, conflict, and theme of the book. According to Stanford’s Suggested Reading List, the book is considered a “must read.” ABC Murders definitely holds up to the reputation placed upon it by Stanford and would be a favorable choice for anyone wishing to read a well written novel.
The birth of classic detective fiction was originated just in the mid nineteenth century, and was producing its own genre. Classical detective fiction follows a set of rules called the ‘Ten commandments of detective fiction’. The genre is so popular it can bee seen by the number of sales in any good book stores. Many of these books have been created a long time ago and there is still a demand for these types of books. The popularity is still ongoing because it provides constant entertainment, and also the reader can also have a role of detective trying to solve the crime/case committed. Classical detective fiction has a formula, the detective story starts with a seemingly irresolvable mystery, typically a murder, features the astute, often unconventional detective, a wrongly accused suspect to whom the circumstantial evidence points, and concludes with a startling or unexpected solution to the mystery, during which the detective explains how he or she solved the mystery. Formula that includes certain elements such as, a closed location to keep the number of suspects down, red hearings spread around the stories to keep the reader entertained yet interacted.
format of a Sherlock Holmes story. it showcases a women as a powerful opponent for
Murder is the most sinister of any crime you can commit as you are taking life away from someone who isn't ready to go. It is especially irrational when murder is carried out with no motive. This could only be the work of a madman. With crime people seek justice and will make their best efforts to achieve it. In the ABC Murders by Agatha Christie we explore the mystery of not one, but four murders carried out meticulously and with proper planning. In this novel we get to see the solving process of an interesting murder case through two private detectives who have gotten back together after some time apart in retirement. We get to see how they are able to think like a murder and determine the motives and planning behind the crimes.
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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...