Date
5-23-2025
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)
Chair
Jill Johnson
Keywords
Agatha Christie, Character, Craft Element, Mystery, Characters, Murder Mystery, Hercule Poirot, Character Creation, Detective
Disciplines
Creative Writing | English Language and Literature
Recommended Citation
Olds, Rachel Grace, "The Craft of Christie: A Dissection of Agatha Christie’s Creation of Character" (2025). Masters Theses. 1309.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/1309
Abstract
Agatha Christie’s writing is widely known, but not deeply known. She is a master of the genre of mystery, and many critics and scholars have lauded her genius. However, she is not often recognized for her mastery of the craft of character. In fact, several critics have misunderstood her characters as two-dimensional beings that exist only to advance the plot. This thesis aims to examine the way Agatha Christie crafts her characters, how her methods of the craft of character work to perfectly mislead her readers, and her ultimate purpose for creating and implementing manipulative elements for the reader. In addition to the critical paper, the creative manuscript is a fiction piece, which includes the first ten chapters of a mystery novel that employs Christie’s methods of character creation. The manuscript centers around a young woman’s summer at an English manor that takes a murderous turn after a grisly discovery is made. The manuscript uses Christie’s methods of observation, intuition, and misdirection in an original manner that honors the craft.
