Ever since she published her first crime novel in Britain in 1921, Agatha Christie has been a household name. We will celebrate this publishing centenary by focusing on Christie's famous and forgotten detective figures. We will investigate the crime genre and its development and also look at her detectives' obvious and hidden cultural impact on crime writing and film and television making.
For your course preparation you might find these websites helpful:
https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/themes/crime-and-crime-fiction
https://guides.library.appstate.edu/c.php?g=65444&p=422034
https://www.britannica.com/art/detective-story-narrative-genre
https://www.writerswrite.co.za/nine-examples-of-sub-genres-in-crime-fiction/
While many readers and viewers are familiar with the names of Christie's elderly detectives M. Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple, young and dashing detective figures, such as Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, Lady Eileen Brent or Lady Frances Derwent are hardly known by anyone today.
We will discuss Christie's life and work in general and read selected short stories and a novel together. In addition, students will form specialist groups and dedicate themselves to one detective figure of their choice.
All students need to read Murder on the Orient Express before the beginning of term:
https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/agatha-christie/33609-murder_on_the_orient_express.html
One of the short stories featuring Miss Marple is "Greenshaw's Folly" (story no. 5 on p. 10 in this collection):
https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/agatha-christie/page,13,33629-double_sin_and_other_stories.html
You might also wish to make yourselves familiar already with the story "Problem at Pollensa Bay", featuring Mr Parker Pyne:
https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/agatha-christie/33596-problem_at_pollensa_bay_and_other_stories.html
If you would like to learn more about Christie herself, why not turn to her autobiography:
https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/agatha-christie/33671-an_autobiography.html
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