Dan W. Clanton, Jr. examines the presence and use of religion and Bible in Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot novels and stories and their later interpretations. Clanton begins by situating Christie in her literary, historical, and religious contexts by discussing “Golden Age” crime fiction and Christianity in England in the late 19th-early 20th centuries. He then explores the ways in which Bible is used in Christie’s Poirot novels as well as how Christie constructs a religious identity for her little Belgian sleuth. Clanton concludes by asking how non-majority religious cultures are treated in the Poirot canon, including a heterodox Christian movement, Spiritualism, Judaism, and Islam.
Throughout, Clanton acknowledges that many people do not encounter Poirot in his original literary contexts. That is, far more people have been exposed to Poirot via “mediated” renderings and interpretations of the stories and novels in various other genres, including radio, films, and TV. As such, the book engages the reception of the stories in these various genres, since the process of adapting the original narrative plots involves, at times, meaningful changes.
Capitalizing on the immense and enduring popularity of Poirot across multiple genres and the absence of research on the role of religion and Bible in those stories, this book is a necessary contribution to the field of Christie studies and will be welcomed by her fans as well as scholars of religion, popular culture, literature, and media.
By:
Dan W. Clanton Jr.
Imprint: T.& T.Clark Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9780567696076
ISBN 10: 0567696073
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 13 June 2024
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
College/higher education
,
Undergraduate
,
Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Acknowledgments Author’s Preface Introduction Part One: Literary and Historical Background Chapter 1: Golden Age Crime Fiction and Agatha Christie Chapter 2: Christianity in England and Agatha Christie Part Two: The Bible in Christie’s Poirot Stories Chapter 3: Death on the Nile Chapter 4: Evil Under the Sun Chapter 5: The Prodigal Son Part Three: Poirot, Religion, and Christianity Chapter 6: Poirot’s Religious Identity, Part 1: Background and Nine Themes Chapter 7: Poirot’s Religious Identity, Part 2: “The Chocolate Box” and Taken at the Flood Chapter 8: Murder on the Orient Express Chapter 9: The A.B.C. Murders Chapter 10: Curtain Part Four: “Other” Religions in Christie’s Poirot Stories Chapter 11: A Christian “Cult” Chapter 12: Spiritualism Chapter 13: Jews and Judaism Chapter 14: Muslims and Islam Conclusion Appendix: Biblical Allusions and Quotations Bibliography Index
Dan W. Clanton, Jr. associate professor of religious studies at Doane University, USA.
