Six Reasons Why Agatha Christie Is Just Like Jane Austen

[poliphilo]

1. Both write a clear, cool, dateless, English prose.

2. Both are completely free of sentiment.

3. Both are ironists.

3. Both are sly social critics.

4. Both write excellent dialogue.

5. Neither cares in the least about landscape, architecture, clothes or interior furnishing (and yet when they're filmed it's exactly these things that get highlighted- and how odd is that?)

6. Each is the supreme writer in a genre that she transcends.

Comments

[karenkay.livejournal.com]

#5 is interesting--I hadn't noticed that, but you're absolutely right. I *think* that it's because of #1, and #6. That is, they write characters and character development, and showing that in clothes and furniture (and acting) is all you've got in a movie. I do think that this shows the excellence of the writing, and the shortcoming of movies.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I've been reading Curtain. I thought- because I'm a fan of the TV dramatizations- that I ought to try one of the books. I expected to be impressed by the cleverness of the plotting and nothing much else. Instead I've been astonished to find that she's an extraordinarily good writer.

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

I agree that 5 is odd but when I think about it it makes sense. Films have a huge visual component and what we intuitively imagine while reading both Christie and Austen, is shown on the screen for our visual recreation and to create ambience. Each writer lends herself to that sort of period furnishing on the big screen.

Ah...and AMEN to the "sly social critic" bit.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'm a huge fan of David Suchet's Poirot.

Even so, the TV dramatizations hadn't prepared me for the wit and subtlety of Christie's writing.

There seems to have been some mistake

[pdcawley.livejournal.com]

You've misspelled Dorothy L Sayers as Agatha Christie.

Re: There seems to have been some mistake

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Sorry, no.

Agatha Christie is a much better writer than Dorothy L. Sayers.

P.S. I know this is heresy

Re: There seems to have been some mistake

[pdcawley.livejournal.com]

So long as you don't start claiming that Dick Francis is better than either of 'em...

Re: There seems to have been some mistake

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I leave Dick Francis to my mother- the racing fiend.

[(Anonymous)]

It was Agatha Christie that made me a mystery reader, long years ago when I was a teen. Have a Great Day Skob

[mokie]

I like. :)

[senordildo.livejournal.com]

Have you seen the recent Christie article in the Guardian?
I figure it might be up your alley: http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/crime/story/0,,1944890,00.html

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I came across it this morning. Pure serendipity.

I do think she's good.