The Homecoming; Conclusion & Discussion; Agatha Christie

During period 1 today, please complete your reading of The Homecoming. After reading, please discuss some of the questions posed on the handout from last class.

During period 2, we will get our next book, Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express.

Agatha Christie

Best selling author for the past seventy or so years, Agatha Christie's has sold over two billion books worldwide and her books have been translated into over 45 languages. The world knows her name and her writing. She has eighty novels, several short story collections and over a dozen plays to her name. The play The Mousetrap, has been the longest running straight play in theatrical history. None too shabby.

HOMEWORK: Please begin reading Murder on the Orient Express.

Here are a few clips from various Agatha Christie films:

• Murder on the Orient Express (VIDEO GAME)
• Murder on the Orient Express (1972)
• Death on the Nile (1978)
• Evil Under the Sun
• And Then There Were None (1945)
• 10 Little Indians (1974)
• The Mirror Crack'd (1980)

The queen of the whodunit is undoubtedly Agatha Christie. But various sleuths have graced the pages of British lit. Among them, the granddaddy of detection is the character Sherlock Holmes, created by Arthur Conan Doyle. Other important sleuths include Inspector Morse (Colin Dexter), Albert Campion (Margery Allingham),  Adela Bradley (The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries by Gladys Mitchell), and Welsh brother Cadfael (Edith Pargeter).

Basically a whodunit, or mystery story involves a pretty good plot along with compelling characters. Keep some of this advice in mind when reading or writing mysteries:

1. Plot is king. Planning a plot is essential for a mystery. You can't write this kind of thing organically (like you're used to) and therein lies the difficulty (and challenge!)
2. Start with a crime in mind. Research crimes of this sort to get ideas. Choose a crime you'd be interested in exploring. Some basics are: murder, theft, sabotage, treason, manslaughter, breaking and entering, assault, kidnapping, etc.
3. Consider starting with the crime scene, then planning backwards.
4. Outline the story before starting to see if each scene fits (and how) into the plot. Each scene should advance the plot. (Good advice in writing all fiction!)
5. Rearrange necessary scenes in an order. In Agatha Christie's work, for example, she often arranges chapters to revolve around the questioning of a suspect. She cuts back and forth between key, important characters during a chapter or between scenes.
6. Using a flow chart can be helpful too in order to show dead ends.
7. Introduce what is called a "red herring" or "macguffin" (also mcguffin), a goal or object that the protagonist or antagonist is willing to sacrifice almost anything to get or pursue, often with little explanation as to why it is considered important. The macguffin is usually unimportant and leads the reader astray. Very helpful in designing mysteries.
8. Consider the plot as the way in which the problem (the crime) gets solved.
9. Put your protagonist in danger. Allow for dead ends to misdirect the reader.

10. Use minor characters (particularly their motivations) to misdirect or hint or provide clues that lead to the solution of the mystery.

Use the graphic organizers today to begin planning a mystery.
Some further advice about writing a whodunit.

And Then There Were None (1945)