Agatha's Style & Writing
Agatha's writing and its style is as different from that of any other author's. She was well-known for not speaking much in public, but expressed her opinions on writing and described her writing process in her autobiography, simply titled An Autobiography. In this section, you'll learn about Christie's creative process and her writing. She had always been such an avid reader of literature, too. Her library ranged from Charles Dickens to P. G. Wodehouse, and Lewis Carroll to William Shakespeare. She was famous for creating mysteries around some famous nursery rhymes. She injected these authors' books (and more) plus nursery rhymes and poetry into her dialogue, plots, and titles. You can read more about literary references in her writings in this article listing some of these.
For a great start, read about how her books came to be and how she wrote them in the featured article "Modus Operandi". Would you like some help in figuring out the guilty party in any book? Read some tips to figure out "Whodunit?". And you don't have to worry about the books' secrets. None are revealed here! Learn about Christie's family and friends by reading the dedications she left to them. Click here or on "Dedications" to browse through the dedications by decade.
We compare the British titles versus the American titles of many of Agatha's famous novels. Can't you believe Dumb Witness was published in the UK when the American title is Poirot Loses a Client? The UK-titled Sparkling Cyanide doesn't sound like its US counterpart Remembered Death. Which was published first of these two? The novel with the US title! So, let's analyze the differences between the title of a Christie novel in the UK versus that in the US. We'll choose a clear winner between the two, and visitors to this site can vote for their preference!
Agatha's world is unique, like that of any other author. And yet, it is familiar with its quaint and quiet English villages and bustling cities like London. Hers is a little more real than a reader suspects. Center stage in many of her books are the characters of Poirot and Marple. Although they are Agatha's most-used, they in are two separate "worlds" because they are in different social circles. Yet, they are in the same shared universe as we connect the dots between the two. We have a small discussion on imaginary places such as small English towns and countries like Herzoslovakia. Take a look how Agatha's world is created.
To learn more about Agatha Christie the author, there's a section that's shared along with "Style & Writing". Click any of the links under "Agatha Christie" (or the quick links to the right) to learn more about her personal life, her family, and accomplishments.