TMORA - Elements of crime writing Flashcards
How does the text present crime and immoral behaviour?
The text does not focus on just a single crime. Christie foregrounds a plethora of immoral behaviours which the characters are eager to keep hidden.
How is immoral behaviour shown through Ackroyd’s death?
- Very few of those who are living under Ackroyd’s roof and off the wealthy industrialist’s financial munificence, express any real sorrow at his passing.
- More concerned with how they might benefit from his will and hiding their own unsavoury secrets from those investigating his death, than bringing the real criminal to justice.
What is the central crime to the novel?
Dr Sheppard who is not only “the scoundrel who drove [Mrs Ferrars] to death”, but the individual who betrays and murders a man who places immense trust in him.
Why does the fact that Sheppard is a doctor fit into this crime genre?
The very fact that Sheppard is a doctor, a social position that affords him access to people’s homes, in an age when the local doctor was a family friend and intimate, and who is tasked with the role of preserving life, makes his murderous actions all the more heinous and shocking.
How is the role of the detective shown to be inept in the book?
Although the police are called in to investigate, Inspector Raglan proves humorously inept.
Who is the main detective in the novel who embodies this role?
It is left to Poirot and his “little grey cells” to discern the truth.
What does Poirot focus on to grab the readers attention?
Poirot focuses on and sifts the facts, drawing the reader’s attention to the salient details that will expose the criminal.
What are the four central questions that Poirot (and Christie of course) asks the readers to consider?
- Who called Dr Sheppard to inform him of the murder?
- Who moved the chair in the study? - - Whose boot prints lie on the window sill?
- Who the ring belongs to that is discovered in the pond?
Why does Poirot’s approach to questioning prove successful?
A logical, methodical approach of questioning each individual in turn, Poirot is able to discern the perpetrator.
Who are the other detectives present in the narrative?
- Caroline, Sheppard’s sister, is ever alert to gossip and adept at working out some truths.
-such as Mrs Ferrars had not taken an accidental overdose at all - she is able to provide Poirot with essential information
Who is the other ‘detective’ in the narrative?
- For much of the narrative, we assume Sheppard is taking on the role of helpful sidekick
- “I played Watson to his Sherlock.”
How is the reader asked to assume the role of the detective?
As each suspect comes under Poirot’s scrutiny and each suspect’s confession is forced from them.
How is machinations and manipulations shown throughout the text?
The text also portrays the cunning and manipulative nature of the criminal mind.
Who plays into the element of machinations and manipulations?
Sheppard manoeuvres all those around him (including the reader), insinuating himself into a position of trust.
What are examples of Sheppard manipulating the reader?
Use of the most advanced technology in the form of a dictaphone that Ackroyd appears alive when the opposite is true, and arranging his own alibi through a cleverly timed telephone call.
