Agatha Christie- Anarchist

[poliphilo]

ITV is screening a new set of Miss Marple dramatizations, starring Geraldine McEwan.

We've seen a couple now. I always found Christie a dull read, but she works fabulously on the small screen.

Murder At The Vicarage spent a leisurely three quarters of an hour establishing the 1950s rural idyll that is St Mary Mead and then tore it to
shreds as it was revealed that all these prosperous, respectable middle-Englander stereotypes are in fact murderers, adulterers, thieves, embezelers and traitors.

In her own way Christie is as subversive as Bunuel. Something like Murder At The Vicarage is really just The Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisie by other means.

Comments

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I've never quite understood why Christie has survived when other writers of the "golden age" have all but vanished. It doesn't seem to have anything much to do with literary merit.

I like locked room mysteries. Hence my taste for Carr. The best of his stories are deliciously weird.

[karenkay.livejournal.com]

Yes! I don't share your love of ghost stories, etc., but JD Carr, most definitely.

And I don't know why Christie has survived. Maybe because she had a good publicist.:) I agree with you about literary merit.