that no one of them ever forgot...There had clearly been a terrific struggle. Heavy furniture was overturned. China vases lay splintered on the floor. In
the middle of the hearthrug in front of the blazing fire, lay Simeon Lee in a great pool of blood...blood was splashed all round. The place was like a shambles."
The mystery, which you have just heard an excerpt from, is titled Hercule Poirot's Christmas. This novel is set in an English country house- one of the favorite settings of the famous mystery writer, Agatha Christie. The English country house is a British institution that has endured since the Middle Ages. This English cliché has been the focus of many things, but today I will speak about its use in Agatha Christie mysteries-in stories such as Hercule Poirot's Christmas. The English Country house has been as much a part of English history as the monarchy. The trend of keeping these large estates started in the Middle Ages, in the age of the manor house. The manor house was a mansion with a vast amount of surrounding land, usually in the form of farms on which the peasants worked. Before there was a very strong governmental system in Britain, most of the major decisions that were made for the areas
surrounding the houses or even for the whole country, were made at the manors there. The manor house or English country house, as it is called now, is a strong symbol of the British aristocracy. The styles that you see throughout British architecture are all recorded in the English country house, because the elite had the money to be trendsetters. These architectural styles included Palladianism, neoclassicism, Regency-and one of the most famous stylistic eras of all, the Victorian Age. So as you can see the English country house is truly English-just like Agatha Christie mysteries, which depict British life from the twenties, thirties, and onward. As I will explain to you today, the English country house played an important part in the intrigue and success of the Agatha Christie mystery.
There are many reasons or themes that make the use of the English country house successful in the Christie books, but there are four that stand out the most, and those are the reasons I will explain today. The first reason deals with the "community" that makes up the country house. The second reason deals with the use of a curse or a sinister past event that is related to the house. The third reason involves the idea that country houses were usually inhabited by rich and or famous people, which make mysteries
more exciting and sensational. The fourth reason why the use of the English country house was successful was because the author had lived in many of them throughout her life, so she could describe them well.
To begin our look at the English country house in Agatha Christie mysteries, let us first look at the idea of a community surrounding the house. This community not only included family members, but also maids, butlers, cooks, gardeners, farmers, friends, etc.. The idea of a big group of people congregated in one place is perfect for a murder mystery because everyone is a suspect. Everybody living in or around the house knows a little something about everybody else in the house, and this allows for many murder motives. A big country house might have kept one hundred people-some family, friends, and staff. And let's not forget about all those who were in some way connected to the house, like the tenant farmers, shepherds, carpenters, painters, footmen-the list goes on and on. In this kind of a close knit atmosphere, the idea of a murder among the members of the community is feasible and that is one of the things that make Christie mysteries of this type successful.
The use of the country house not onlyallows for opportunities for murder, but it also allows for motive. There are many reasons for murder among members of a country house community. One of the most popular motives Christie uses in her books is the idea of the murderer killing someone in order to profit from the will. Other motives that are seen in the books include conflicts involving members of the household. There is the idea of murder to keep someone quiet. There is also the idea of premeditated murder out of revenge and anger. Another popular motive is murder for romantic purposes. For example, to get rid of a spouse and run away with another, along with the money left in the will of the deceased spouse. An example of a plot that uses the idea of a conflict between members of the household is that of Hercule Poirot's Christmas, which you heard an excerpt from earlier. This mystery involves the murder of the master of the house, Simeon Lee in his locked bedroom, and all of the discordant guests and family members assembled in the house are suspects.
While one aspect of Christie's use of country houses involves the community contained within them, another aspect involves the use of a country house as cursed or haunted place.
When you were little, did you ever read scary stories that dealt with haunted and cursed houses or houses in which something mysterious had happened? Did you find them thrilling and scary, yet irresistible? Well there is that same allure behind Agatha Christie mysteries that take place at a haunted or in some way sinister house. As we know from the history of the country house, these estates were passed on from generation to generation, so they were very old and this is what makes the idea of a curse, or mysterious past event, attractive. In most of the books, the curse is the red herring or trick that the murderer uses. The criminal makes it seem that the old curse associated with the house is the cause of the murder in order to take the pressure off of the real culprit. One excellent example of such a plot is in the book, Endless Night. In this book, the main character buys a piece of land called Gypsy's Acre. There is said to be a curse on the land so that those who live there fall prey to fatal accidents. But this curse is just used to cover up the evil of the landowners, and when the wife of the main character dies unexpectedly, people wonder.
Another reason why Agatha Christie mysteries involving country houses are intriguing is because the inhabitants of these houses are almost exclusively rich and/or famous. Which would you rather have, a mystery that occurs at a hovel starring a milkmaid, or one that occurs in a mansion starring an heiress, and includes a tremendously huge estate to inherit? Of course you would choose the mansion and the heiress. This is true if you look back in history. Only the elite in society could afford a country house, and it was only in the Victorian era that others like nouveau riche industrialists could afford them. The idea of having the mystery revolve around a rich household works because it is simply more sensational and has more options. Why would someone murder or kidnap a milkmaid? Most likely not for a will or ransom, or any other sensational reason. So for the most part, a mystery where there is a lot at stake is a lot more interesting than one in which little is at stake. For example, in After the Funeral a will is involved and the family members are all suspects, when there are questions as to the cause of death of Cornelius Abernethie.
The last reason that accounts for the success of the country house as a setting for a mystery is because the author lived in many throughout her life and was quite fond of them. She even set some of her mysteries at country houses she had seen or lived in throughout her life. For example, Dead Man's Folly, was set at the house Agatha Christie bought with her second husband. She used scenery and descriptions to show the pastoral landscape in which most of these houses were built. Sometimes she used the serenity of the landscape to complement the turmoil inside the house. Christie also wrote descriptions of the houses to give the reader an idea of what to expect from them old or young, rich or poor, etc..
The four reasons that I have outlined today are ways in which the author, Agatha Christie draws us into the center of the mystery and gets us involved. We pay attention because the descriptions of the characters carrying out their dramas within the mansion walls compel us. Why do they compel us? Because the English country house is an inherently good place for this type of mystery. Couple that with Christie's writing, and you have an excellent setting.
As a quote from the book Chambers for a Memory Palace states "…Layers of expressive detail on a building identify the culture of the place where it is built…indicates its position in society, and rewards our attention…". This quote lies at the heart of the reasons for the English country house's success as a mystery setting, because it rewards our attention. When we hear a description of a huge, mysterious house, we listen because that is what sets the scene for the rest of the mystery. Agatha Christie really worked with her own experiences involving country houses to make them an integral part of her work.
So, if you ever find yourself sitting next to the fire in a English country house like poor Simeon Lee, with people around you that have reasons to eliminate you, be careful. You may be surprised at how ruthless they can be.
