Agatha! This edition had several typos! What?!
That said, these are a few of my favorite things from this novel, aside from the plot itself!
At Dennis' age a detective story is one of the best things in life.
(And at my age, too.)
There was a reference to Dr. Crippen - which took me on a rabbit trail as I looked him up on the internet and read all about *his* fascinating crime. That one would make a great movie!
"Well I don't agree with you," said Griselda. "You know how little we can afford to pay a servant. If once we got her smartened up at all, she'd leave. Naturally. And get higher wages. But as long as Mary can't cook and has these awful manners - well, we're safe; nobody else would have her."
Agatha, you make me laugh! And again:
I cannot say that I have at any time a great admiration for Mr. Raymond West. He is, I know, supposed to be a brilliant novelist, and has made quite a name as a poet. His poems have no capital letters in them, which is, I believe, the essence of modernity. His books are about unpleasant people leading lives of surpassing dullness.
(In my limited knowledge of modern poetry, I suspect an allusion to ee cummings.)
Miss Marple's understanding of herself:
"You see," she began at last, "living alone as I do, in a rather out of the way part of the world, one has to have a hobby. There is , of course, woolwork, and Guides, and Welfare, and sketching, but my hobby is - and always has been - Human Nature. So varied - and so very fascinating. And, of course, in a small village, with nothing to distract one, one has such ample opportunity for becoming what I might call proficient in one's study. One begins to class people, quite definitely, just as though they were birds or flowers, group so and so, genus this, species that. Sometimes, of course, one makes mistakes, but less and less as time goes on. And then, too, one tests oneself... It is so fascinating, you know, to apply one's judgment and find that one is right."
And metafiction (just one example):
"I know that in books it is always the most unlikely person. But I never find that rule applies in real life."
Oh, Dame Agatha...it is so interesting that Miss Marple, who becomes one of your most popular detectives, is just a peripheral character through most of this novel - and yet it is she who puts all the facts together and solves the mystery. Brilliant. I love it.
Wednesday, February 15
Thursday, February 2
12. The Mysterious Mr. Quin (1930)
Oh, my dear Agatha,
You just never disappoint.
I am reading this book right now, The Storied Life of AJ Fikry (mixed feelings), and the protagonist is a bookseller who loves the short story. I think I used to really love the short story better than the novel, too, but my tastes have definitely changed. Sometimes I feel like when you read a collection of them, I'm just getting a taste of something. Because the paradigm doesn't allow it, there is no time to go deep with the characters or back story or what have you.
That said, this collection of short stories, though originally published separately, did fit together as a cohesive whole. I loved how each was a story in itself, but through the progression, the characters progressed. In fact, I'll admit, I felt more and more uncomfortable with Mr. Quin, especially in the final story - but I really grew to love the protagonist, Mr. Satterthwaite.
Agatha, I even loved the introduction you wrote to the 1953 edition. When you said your favorites were "World's End," "The Man from the Sea," and "Harlequin's Lane," I looked forward to each with more anticipation. Of those three, I'm sure "Harlequin's Lane" was among my favorites. I did love the others, though.
From the introduction:
After I turned from poetry and ghost stories to crime, Harlequin finally reappeared; a figure invisible except when he chose, not quite human, yet concerned with the affairs of human beings and particularly of lovers. He is also the advocate for the dead.
Though each story about him is quite separate, the collection, written over a considerable period of years, outlines in the end the story of Harlequin himself.
A webpage I came across: http://www.agathachristie.com/characters/harley-quin
There is a certain degree of intelligence that is required to really appreciate your works sometimes, a level I feel I lack, by the way. Maybe it's because I'm American; maybe it's because of the time in which I live - but I definitely feel a lack of knowledge of culture that you often refer to. Of course I've heard of Harlequin and the motifs of Punchinello and such, but I am certainly unfamiliar with the operas of Columbine, Pierrot, Pierrette, etc. I need to do some research and perhaps come back to this tome again. That said, even with my surface understanding, I loved this book; I just feel I may love it even more when I understand it more deeply.
Hungry for more, dear Agatha.
Beth
You just never disappoint.
I am reading this book right now, The Storied Life of AJ Fikry (mixed feelings), and the protagonist is a bookseller who loves the short story. I think I used to really love the short story better than the novel, too, but my tastes have definitely changed. Sometimes I feel like when you read a collection of them, I'm just getting a taste of something. Because the paradigm doesn't allow it, there is no time to go deep with the characters or back story or what have you.
That said, this collection of short stories, though originally published separately, did fit together as a cohesive whole. I loved how each was a story in itself, but through the progression, the characters progressed. In fact, I'll admit, I felt more and more uncomfortable with Mr. Quin, especially in the final story - but I really grew to love the protagonist, Mr. Satterthwaite.
Agatha, I even loved the introduction you wrote to the 1953 edition. When you said your favorites were "World's End," "The Man from the Sea," and "Harlequin's Lane," I looked forward to each with more anticipation. Of those three, I'm sure "Harlequin's Lane" was among my favorites. I did love the others, though.
From the introduction:
After I turned from poetry and ghost stories to crime, Harlequin finally reappeared; a figure invisible except when he chose, not quite human, yet concerned with the affairs of human beings and particularly of lovers. He is also the advocate for the dead.
Though each story about him is quite separate, the collection, written over a considerable period of years, outlines in the end the story of Harlequin himself.
A webpage I came across: http://www.agathachristie.com/characters/harley-quin
There is a certain degree of intelligence that is required to really appreciate your works sometimes, a level I feel I lack, by the way. Maybe it's because I'm American; maybe it's because of the time in which I live - but I definitely feel a lack of knowledge of culture that you often refer to. Of course I've heard of Harlequin and the motifs of Punchinello and such, but I am certainly unfamiliar with the operas of Columbine, Pierrot, Pierrette, etc. I need to do some research and perhaps come back to this tome again. That said, even with my surface understanding, I loved this book; I just feel I may love it even more when I understand it more deeply.
Hungry for more, dear Agatha.
Beth
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