Agatha Christie has never been substantially considered as a war writer, even though war is a constant presence in her writing. This interdisciplinary collection of essays considers the effects of these conflicts on the social and psychological textures of Christie’s detective fiction and other writings, demonstrating not only Christie’s textual navigation of her contemporary surroundings and politics, but also the value of her voice as a popular fiction writer reflecting popular concerns. Agatha Christie Goes to War introduces the ‘Queen of Crime’ as an essential voice in the discussion of war, warfare, and twentieth century literature.
J.C. Bernthal and Rebecca Mills, Introduction
- Sarah Martin and Sally West, Mapping War, Planning Peace: Miss Marple and the Evolving Village Space, 1930-1962
- Paula Bowles, Christie’s Wartime Hero: Peacetime Killer
- Brittain Bright, Writing Through War: Narrative Structure and Authority in Christie’s Second World War Novels
- Merja Makinen, Taking on Hitler: Agatha Christie’s Wartime Thrillers
- J.C. Bernthal, "When She Eats She Will Die": Informal Meals and Social Change in Sad Cypress and "And Then There Were None"
- Julius Green, "A Worrying, Nerve-Wracked World": Agatha Christie’s Emergence as a Playwright During and after the Second World War
- Federica Crescentini, "There are Things One Doesn’t Forget": The Second World War in "Three Blind Mice" and The Mousetrap
- Christopher Yiannitsaros, Displaced Persons: A Murder is Announced and the Condition of Post-War England
- Rebecca Mills, Detecting the Blitz: Trauma and Memory in Christie’s Post-War Writings
- Roger Dalrymple, "The Thrill When it Suddenly Went Pitch Black!": Blackout Cultures in A Murder is Announced and The Mousetrap
Biography
Dr. Rebecca Mills is a lecturer at Bournemouth University
Dr James Bernthal-Hooker is a guest lecturer at the University of Cambridge
