Christie Papers

When new articles and information are added to the site we'll give you a taster here ...

The Works of Agatha Christie R.I.P.

05 Jan 09 9:52AM

Irrelevant. Dated. Dead.

These are just a few adjectives which the following article is going to apply to the works of Agatha Christie. It may make your blood boil temporarily – but hopefully you’re enough of a fan to be so wholly scandalised that anyone has the audacity to write this, you will continue to read long enough for the article to explain itself. In 1920 ‘The Mysterious Affair at Styles’ was published and the crime genre was never the same again. With the effortless introduction of hallmarks we now refer to as ‘clichés’ and the addition to British literature of some of the finest mysteries ever written, Agatha Christie, no-one could argue, truly earned her title of the unofficial Queen of Crime.

But alas, her reign is now at an end. Times are changing – in fact they’ve already changed. Gone are the days when people read for pleasure; to escape; to imagine. Welcome to the 21st Century: a dull, grey era in which the people are monosyllabic; books are largely considered to have far too many words in them to be worth actualising; and David Beckham’s autobiography is thought by the masses to be a ‘challenging read’ (just watch out for the seven letter word!) Books, nowadays, are just one of many, many media which provide our entertainment. So where, in a society with such vast choice, can there possibly be a place for Agatha Christie? A mystery writer; a teller of quaint little stories, set in sleepy English villages where not very much happens at all until, of course, one seemingly normal resident goes berserk and successfully murders someone who it appears he or she had no motive whatsoever for murdering. Tales of ‘poshfolk’ who lose their mind with an unobtrusiveness and quietness that is only spotted by the peculiar little detective who sits alone in the corner and isn’t really paid that much attention. Where is the relevance of that? Miss Christie might have been a genius, but she’s one that’s well and truly had her day. ‘Goodbye, Agatha,’ it is tragically time to say, blowing the dust off her books in haste, ‘and don’t forget to shut the stage doors, as you leave the crime genre forever.’

Okay, that’s a little bleak. But perhaps part of you can see where I’m coming from: 20th century crime drama is now considered tame. But modern day crime drama on the other hand – well that’s something else entirely! Surely it is only in the current day can we find plots worth following. Stories that are succinct, sensational and satisfying, with current and exciting characters to whom we can connect! Mr X, a hardened advocate of gore, violence and raising public awareness of ‘life’s harsh realities’ and ‘the horrors of the world we live in’, certainly thinks so. In fact he’s one of the ‘new breed’ who only reads information digitally and thinks ‘My Side’ by Mr Beckham was a ‘right little cracker’! “Christie, Schmistie!” he laughs, looking at Mr Y with reproach and irritating narrow-mindedness. “After all, with a bucket-load-of graphic mortuary shots, sordid sexual revelations, convoluted applications of obscure forensic developments topped with a sprinkle of court-room injustices that’ll make you lose all faith in the law, what is there not to like about modern-day crime drama?”

“A lot,” replies Mr Y, putting down his copy of ‘And Then There Were None’, “and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

Now (having no doubt offended most Christie fans, modern crime drama fans and avid readers of David Beckham) would probably be a good time to say that’s me. I am Mr Y. I don’t dislike modern crime drama, in fact I quite enjoy it – but I don’t think it’s perfect either. Similarly, whilst it’s my humble opinion that Christie’s books do have their share of flaws, I still find them an absolute joy to read. What’s more I consider it my personal duty, for all the pleasure they have given me, to spread this opinion as widely and emphatically as possible. For as long as people keep on picking up her books, the only thing ‘dead’ about them will be the victims.

Fans today can still relate to the characters (as real and as current as they ever were, because – let’s face it – the wickedness of human nature is something that will never change). They can still muse over the issues (be they revenge, redemption or simply justice – an idea which Christie took very gravely indeed) and they can still, eighty years on, be captivated by that very mysterious affair at Styles… Why? Because, yes, Agatha Christie got it right. Her plots were ingenious and filled with imagination; still as sensational as the horror of crime drama today, just in a much more modest way. But she did more than that, as my opening paragraph observed. She shaped the genre with her work, the influence of which can still be seen on our screens today. With her jaw-dropping twists, shock revelations and quirky detectives, her literature remains exactly as it ever was:

Relevant. Modern. Alive.

8 comments

Comment on this story

8 comments

Reverse order

Gilles 15 Jul 10 at 1:10a.m.

"[...] books are largely considered to have far too many words in them to be worth actualising [...]"

Maybe I'm in a minority, but I can't agree with that, as I am buying all Agatha Christie's books in digital form to read them on my iPad, and her stories don't loose any of their charm even in this technological format. Besides, I can carry a whole lot more on vacation or wherever than I would be able to in hardcover form !

sharonslee 19 Apr 09 at 12:15a.m.

I really enjoyed your article! I hope Agatha Christie will never be forgotten! I love how her stories unfold without the help of technology... it gives everyone a chance to exercise their "little grey cells". I would definitely choose to read her work over any modern day author because all her mysteries have a certain charm to them. These days it's all about drug,sex, and money! That can get old really fast. However, Agatha Christie concentrates more on character & plot development. Her characters are easy to get attached to (Hercule Poirot is my best friend!) and I always look forward the creepy twist at the end that Christie never fails to deliver! She will remain alive as long as people realize that there's more to mysteries than just action, lust and etc.

janh1 11 Mar 09 at 12:09a.m.

only 1 question: how many volumes from Agatha Christie's omnibus 5-books did arrive on the market untill now;I myself have 27 volumes but I don't know if there are more!?
thanks in advance and kind regards,
Jan Hanegraaf - Holland

flos_regalis 04 Feb 09 at 3:15p.m.

AC shows us what modern crime stories don't: that anybody can be a murderer. We don't know what goes on in other people's heads and we can never be absolutely sure what they are capable of.

In modern crime stories, as we don't know the murderer, we don't see them through the eyes of those who know them, and for this reason we are not that much shocked at the end. In AC's books it's like your best friend or somebody you have always known and liked turns out to be a murderer. And you thought you knew all about them! You can't get this scary feeling from a crime drama on TV.

VRossa 19 Jan 09 at 7:20a.m.

I think it is precisely because Agatha Christie's novels don't rely on technology or fads that they will stand the test of time. I wasn't even born when she wrote her first novel - in fact my mother wasn't even born but both of us are avid fans. Agatha Christie's novels are timeless because they are about two important and enduring things - characterisation and plot and she very rarely gets it wrong.

shubhi1801 13 Jan 09 at 12:16p.m.

times r changing.....true...but 1 cud NEVER get fed up of reading Agatha Christie's books...!!
they still are "succinct, sensational and satisfying, with current and exciting characters to whom we can connect!" unless u want something that can teach u how 2 commit a crime...!! sorry dude...u wouldn't find that in Christie's books...look somewhere else :(

Miss_Terrie 07 Jan 09 at 8:02a.m.

I actually enjoyed youre funny article, and appreciated the point it was trying to make - their is a genuine worry these days that old-fashioned writing will get left behind as technology improves and peoples tastes change etc. i also agree that TV today has become to sexualised (even the new Marple adapts!) and that AC's books are great partly because of there modesty/simpleness.

dale_cooper 06 Jan 09 at 6:50p.m.

What a good article!