The Intertextual Use of Greek Mythology in Agatha Christie’s Detective Fiction

This study investigates the intertextual use of Greek mythology in Agatha Christie’s short stories Philomel Cottage, The Face of Helen, and The Oracle at Delphi, a short story collection The Labours of Hercules, and a novel, Nemesis. The results of this research based on the hermeneutical and compar...

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Main Author:	Tatiana V. Ternopol
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	New Bulgarian University 2020-12-01
Series:	English Studies at NBU
Subjects:	detective fiction intertextuality hypotext allusion intertext greek myths agatha christie
Online Access:	https://esnbu.org/data/files/2020/esnbu.20.2.8.pdf

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spelling	doaj-6ad45b4f724e4b0787a12eb907a9cced2021-04-02T18:58:58ZengNew Bulgarian UniversityEnglish Studies at NBU2367-57052367-87042020-12-016232133110.33919/esnbu.20.2.8The Intertextual Use of Greek Mythology in Agatha Christie’s Detective FictionTatiana V. Ternopol0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3538-9493K.D. Ushinsky Yaroslavl State Pedagogical University, Yaroslavl, RussiaThis study investigates the intertextual use of Greek mythology in Agatha Christie’s short stories Philomel Cottage, The Face of Helen, and The Oracle at Delphi, a short story collection The Labours of Hercules, and a novel, Nemesis. The results of this research based on the hermeneutical and comparative methods reveal that A. Christie’s intertextual formula developed over time. In her early works, allusions were based on characters' appearances and functions as well as on the use of motifs and themes from Greek myths. Later on, she turned to using allusory character names; this would mislead her readers who thought they already knew the formula of her stories. Although not a postmodern writer, A. Christie enjoyed playing games of allusion with her readers. She wanted them not only to solve a case but also to discover and interpret the intertextual references.https://esnbu.org/data/files/2020/esnbu.20.2.8.pdfdetective fictionintertextualityhypotextallusionintertextgreek mythsagatha christie
collection	DOAJ
language	English
format	Article
sources	DOAJ
author	Tatiana V. Ternopol
spellingShingle	Tatiana V. Ternopol The Intertextual Use of Greek Mythology in Agatha Christie’s Detective Fiction English Studies at NBU detective fiction intertextuality hypotext allusion intertext greek myths agatha christie
author_facet	Tatiana V. Ternopol
author_sort	Tatiana V. Ternopol
title	The Intertextual Use of Greek Mythology in Agatha Christie’s Detective Fiction
title_short	The Intertextual Use of Greek Mythology in Agatha Christie’s Detective Fiction
title_full	The Intertextual Use of Greek Mythology in Agatha Christie’s Detective Fiction
title_fullStr	The Intertextual Use of Greek Mythology in Agatha Christie’s Detective Fiction
title_full_unstemmed	The Intertextual Use of Greek Mythology in Agatha Christie’s Detective Fiction
title_sort	intertextual use of greek mythology in agatha christie’s detective fiction
publisher	New Bulgarian University
series	English Studies at NBU
issn	2367-5705 2367-8704
publishDate	2020-12-01
description	This study investigates the intertextual use of Greek mythology in Agatha Christie’s short stories Philomel Cottage, The Face of Helen, and The Oracle at Delphi, a short story collection The Labours of Hercules, and a novel, Nemesis. The results of this research based on the hermeneutical and comparative methods reveal that A. Christie’s intertextual formula developed over time. In her early works, allusions were based on characters' appearances and functions as well as on the use of motifs and themes from Greek myths. Later on, she turned to using allusory character names; this would mislead her readers who thought they already knew the formula of her stories. Although not a postmodern writer, A. Christie enjoyed playing games of allusion with her readers. She wanted them not only to solve a case but also to discover and interpret the intertextual references.
topic	detective fiction intertextuality hypotext allusion intertext greek myths agatha christie
url	https://esnbu.org/data/files/2020/esnbu.20.2.8.pdf
work_keys_str_mv	AT tatianavternopol theintertextualuseofgreekmythologyinagathachristiesdetectivefiction AT tatianavternopol intertextualuseofgreekmythologyinagathachristiesdetectivefiction
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The Intertextual Use of Greek Mythology in Agatha Christie’s Detective Fiction

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