Abstract

The golden age of western detective novels and the works of Agatha Christie are all spectacular. This thesis focuses on Agatha’s representative works, including And There Were None Murder on The Oriented Express and Death on the Nile, to analyze her writing skills. The plot of Agatha’s works is intricate and unpredictable, the conception is ingenious. The portray of characters and art language are all highlights in her works.   

Key words: Agatha Christie, detective novels, writing skills, golden age

CONTENTS

中文摘要

Abstract

1. Introduction .1

2. The Golden Age of Western Detective Novels .1

2.1 The definition of western detective novels .2

2.2 The features of western detective novels ..2

2.3 The development of western detective novels . 3

2.3.1 Western detective novels from works of Edgar Allan Poe . 3

2.3.2 Detective novels of representative writers .4

2.3.3 Detective novels in the Golden Age .4

3. Agatha Christie and Her Works 5

3.1 The historical and social background during Agatha’s writing 5

3.2 The family background and Agatha’s personal life 6

3.3 Agatha’s representative works ... 6

3.3.1 The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.... 7

3.3.2 And Then There Were None. 7

3.3.3 Death on the Nile8

3.3.4 Murder on the Orient Express.8

4. The Analysis of Agatha Christie’s Writing Skills. 9

4.1 The intricate and unpredicatable plot.9

4.2 The ingenious conception10

4.3 The vivid portray of characters. 11

4.3.1 The portary of Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express.11

4.3.2 The portary of Jane Marple in The Murder at the Vicarge12

4.4 The study of art language.13

5. Conclusion ... 13

Works Cited  15