IS THE PEN STILL MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD? AGATHA CHRISTIE PART 3: YOU DON’T KNOW AGATHA! BY KIMBERLY THORN

Happy New Year from all of us here at the Sand in Our Shorts blog!  We thank you for your continued support and wish you many blessings for 2024!

 

Up until now all of the information I have shared with you is from Lucy Worsley’s Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman.  Today I’m going to take you on a bit of an adventure.  Actually this adventure is going to be led by someone who is another huge Christie fan.  Today’s post will come from the BritBox special television series, Alan Carr’s Adventure with Agatha Christie.  In this three part series, Carr takes us on a true adventure learning more about Christie.  It should be on every Christie fan’s list of must watch.  While I will not give all of the surprises away, I will share with you some of the top most fascinating things that I learned in this wonderful series.  Won’t you come along with Alan Carr and me to learn some shocking things about Christie!

 

Itinerary #1.    The British Museum 

Wait, what?  Why are we stoping here for Christie?  I’m ever so glad that you asked.  Christie’s second husband, Max was an archeologist.  Ok, I know what you’re thinking.  Yeah, you knew that, right?  But did you know that while Agatha was with Max at his work, that “Christie is very connected to the early days of British archeology,” said Rakesha Dave, British Museum archeologist.  Yes, it is true, I was surprised to learn that Christie has ‘a gallery of objects that she, herself, conserved and found,’ Dave continued.  

 

Dave explained that ‘Christie was very intrigued by the conservation process.’  In fact Dave points out in the gallery that there are two pieces of ivory, one light and one darker in pigment.  Dave advises that the one that is darker is because Christie used her own face cream to clean it which left it darker in appearance than the one next to it.

 

Itinerary #2.    Barts Pathology Museum

Come on in, don’t be afraid. 

 

This pathology museum holds over 5000 specimens of the human bodies used for medical teaching. Sadly, it includes many specimens from victims of violent crimes.  The reason we are here is because Carr introduces us to Carla Valentine who is an author, and a qualified Anatomical Pathology Technologist.  It also happens that she is another huge fan of Agatha Christie. It is here with her pathology work that Valentine realizes the depth of Christie’s knowledge of pathology by her continued contributions.

 

“She’s contributed to the forensic landscape as we know it today.  She’s the person that coined the phrase the ‘scene of the crime’ before anybody else ever used it. She even invented a crime scene examiners kit and she gave it to Hercule Poirot in The Mysterious Affair at Styles.  It didn’t even get invented in real life until 1924.  So she was way ahead of the curve with that,” Carla Valentine explains.

  

Conclusion

I hope that you have enjoyed this short exploration of some interesting and I think, little known facts about Christie.  I have left it short for two reasons.  One, I don’t want to give you too many spoilers. You need to watch Alan Carr’s Adventures with Agatha Christie.  Please do and tell me what you think.  The second reason is that I’m still not feeling 100% well.  Anyways, take care and best wishes for a wonderful new year! 

 

IS THE PEN STILL MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD? LONG LIVE THE QUEEN! Agatha Christie- Part 1- Intro By: Kimberly Thorn

No not that Queen! But the Queen of Mystery, Agatha Christie! What self-respecting mystery writer (or reader) doesn’t acknowledge the Queen of Mystery? No one! She did many great things during her prolific life. For example, she is the third bestselling author of all time, with the Bible and Shakespeare earning the first two spots! That, in and of itself, is a major accomplishment, especially considering she was a woman. Another Christie accomplishment is that she is the most popular playwright! She has had more of her plays performed than anyone else! Although, you may be surprised to know that she contributed so much more than just her writing to the world! And that her contributions are still being enjoyed by the current generation and will be around for future ones.          

First things, first though. There is an elephant in the room that I’d like to address.

 

I am sure that some have heard the big debate that has happened over the last few months involving Christie and her works. There are some that think that Christie’s work is out of date and that it contains offensive language. That her stories need to be “softened.” They also have called her true character and purpose into question. Others vehemently disagree, saying that her original works should be left alone. That she wrote what she wrote on purpose. That her works showed ALL areas of life honestly: it was the good, the bad, and she even represented the ugly. That it tells of another time, but that it CAN still be relevant today, if we are careful.

No matter which side you are on, this debate has caused Christie fans not only to be in an uproar but it also has caused much damage within the Christie community itself. What was once a very diverse set of people, from literally all over the world, who were only first unified by their love for Christie’s contributions has resulted in a major division. Some fans have left groups because of this division.  As a huge Christie fan, this is my first and foremost reason for delving more into Christie, right now. I had intended to wait and reveal another author, but I feel too strongly about this matter to wait any longer. While I enjoy a healthy debate, I am heartbroken at the anger and discord that this debate has caused within an otherwise once loving and acceptable community of her fans.  Although Christie cannot defend herself nor can she answer our questions, I am learning about her to find out the answers to our questions. Or at the very least, to seek answers to ease the tension and create a healthy debate. Do we fellow Christie fans not owe it to her, as well as ourselves, to find the truth (or at least attempt to find the truth)? Personally, I think Christie would want more from us as fans. Let’s face it, Poirot and Miss Marple would seek to find the truth and not wrongly accuse someone of anything without those facts.  I hope you will join me on this Christie adventure!   

Some of the questions I will seek answers to in the following weeks are as follows:

 

How much do we actually know about her: specifically, her life and her writing?

What motivated her to write? Especially what she wrote?

Did she write what she wrote from experience, prejudices, etc?

How did she influence the mystery genre?

Why is she considered the “Queen of Mystery”?

How did she help change the roles of women in the early 19^th century?

Is it true that poison was her favorite means of murder and if so, why?

What are the “Christie clues”?

Do you think you know the answers to these questions? Or, do you have your own questions that you just absolutely HAVE to have the answer to? Did I miss asking a major question in this debate? Drop me a comment and let me know. If I can answer your question, I certainly will!