The notion that 'Golden Age' crime fiction is lightweight and irrelevant by modern standards is seriously challenged in Susan Rowland's new work. From Agatha Christie to Ruth Rendell is a study of six (many would say THE six) major female crime writers, four of whom stand as doyennes of the Golden Age. Susan looks at the works of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham, Ngaio Marsh, P. D. James and Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine in the context of the ages in which they were writing, as well as in relation to each other.
The book opens by introducing each author through a brief biography. Susan goes on to demonstrate how their works reflect a number of major social issues, including gender roles, social structure, ideas of nationhood and racial issues, psychoanalysis and feminism. She also puts forward some interesting ideas about the place of these authors in a gothic and spiritual context. Each chapter is concluded with a detailed analysis of one novel from each author to illustrate the points raised. However, this does not preclude her citing examples in other parts of the text, thus demonstrating a thorough knowledge of each author's work.
From Agatha Christie to Ruth Rendell takes a convincingly academic approach to an area of fiction frequently dismissed as froth. Susan discusses the playfulness inherent in the works of the six authors which was used to expose issues such as violence, crime and social attitudes. In the chapter entitled 'Lands of Hope and Glory' , for instance, the concept of "Englishness" is examined by looking particularly at questions of colonialism and class structure. Miss Marple's first appearance in 'The Murder at the Vicarage' is described as being "in a collective of stereotypical Englishness: as one of a selection of gossipy elderly women entertained by the vicar's wife to tea". On the surface, it is a scene which appears to be a "quintessence of middle class English femininity", yet Susan shows how Christie held it up for mockery in the ruminations of the vicar's wife, who considers what would be a suitable topic of scandal to "be consumed for tea".
The chapter on 'Gothic Crimes' is an interesting one, offering a new perspective by including a comparison to the works of authors recognised as "classics". The analysis of Dorothy L. Sayers' Clouds of Witness demonstrates certain parallels with Wuthering Heights'while the section on They Do It with Mirrors by Agatha Christie makes reference to Jane Austen's mock Gothic novel, Northanger Abbey.
Characters are also given their share of analysis, with vulnerabilities and demons exposed. Lord Peter Wimsey's post War traumas are mentioned, of course. However, even a brief reference comparing the characters of Poirot and Hastings (one with "continental mannerisms", the other with a "narrow English outlook") is sufficient to demonstrate the care their creator took over them. It calls into doubt the notion that such characters were cardboard cut outs, there only to advance the plot.
From Agatha Christie to Ruth Rendell
raises a number of interesting points about the works of these six authors,
many of which had not previously occurred to me. I was slightly concerned about
the disclosure of the murderer in one or two of the later analyses of authors'
works, a disadvantage if one has not read the novels in question. However, in
most cases, Susan does manage to illustrate her points without letting this
information slip. There is much food for thought and this book would certainly
be an asset to anyone studying crime fiction in an academic setting. I shall
certainly be reading the novels of these six authors in a new light.
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Mary Clarke
April 2001