Roger Ackroyd Critical Essay:
- TMORA can be compared to Jane Austen’s Emma (1815) - another work that sets out
to confuse, though in this case it is the protagonist as well as the reader who fails to
read the clues.
- ‘Emma’ takes a heroine, ‘whom no one but myself will much like’, and exposes her
limitations whilst also keeping her sympathetic. As is the case with Christie’s Dr
Shepherd, the narrative voice is carefully poised to maintain the required
ambivalence. Both novels blindside their audiences.
- Like TMORA, Emma plays on the susceptibilities of its readers and their pre-believed
literary conventions – (like Dr Shepherd) the action unfolds through the dominant
lens of Emma’s vision, so the reader is encouraged to accept her standpoint – both
Christie and Austen play with a narrative duplicity.
Chapter Titles:
- Who’s Who in King’s Abbot – introduction to tightly-knit village setting – English
pastoral setting (typical of Christie)
- The Man Who Grew Vegetable Marrows – Introduction in flamboyant, peculiar
detective – noticeable character, intriguing
- Dinner at Fernly – introduction to key setting (place of murder)
- Murder – readers already aware of crime, builds climax, revelation of guilt
- The Tunisian Dagger – potential, misleading crime weapon – adds to brutality of
crime
- I Learn My Neighbour’s Profession – More mystery about Poirot uncovered, again
intrigue increased
- Inspector Raglan is Confident – incompetent detective, starts to sow seeds of read
herrings
More misleads, various characters seem to have motivation and opportunity
- The Goldfish Pond
to kill Ackroyd – adds to complexity of the plot and steers readers away from
- The Parlourmaid reality
- Poirot Pays a Call – mark of classism – GA higher class immediately blame servants
for missing money, rather than considering each other – especially because many
characters are in financial struggle – more suspects (motive)
- Round the Table – Poirot recognises Caroline as a source of valuable information
(clue to Sheppard’s guilt) – treatment of women
- Mrs Ackroyd
- Geoffrey Raymond
- An Evening at Mah Jong Red Herrings, misleadings and uncovering of characters guilts and
- Charles Kent characters. Poirot’s brilliance emphasised and universal guilt
- Flora Ackroyd starting to be uncovered
- Miss Russel
- The Paragraph in the Paper
- TMORA can be compared to Jane Austen’s Emma (1815) - another work that sets out
to confuse, though in this case it is the protagonist as well as the reader who fails to
read the clues.
- ‘Emma’ takes a heroine, ‘whom no one but myself will much like’, and exposes her
limitations whilst also keeping her sympathetic. As is the case with Christie’s Dr
Shepherd, the narrative voice is carefully poised to maintain the required
ambivalence. Both novels blindside their audiences.
- Like TMORA, Emma plays on the susceptibilities of its readers and their pre-believed
literary conventions – (like Dr Shepherd) the action unfolds through the dominant
lens of Emma’s vision, so the reader is encouraged to accept her standpoint – both
Christie and Austen play with a narrative duplicity.
Chapter Titles:
- Who’s Who in King’s Abbot – introduction to tightly-knit village setting – English
pastoral setting (typical of Christie)
- The Man Who Grew Vegetable Marrows – Introduction in flamboyant, peculiar
detective – noticeable character, intriguing
- Dinner at Fernly – introduction to key setting (place of murder)
- Murder – readers already aware of crime, builds climax, revelation of guilt
- The Tunisian Dagger – potential, misleading crime weapon – adds to brutality of
crime
- I Learn My Neighbour’s Profession – More mystery about Poirot uncovered, again
intrigue increased
- Inspector Raglan is Confident – incompetent detective, starts to sow seeds of read
herrings
More misleads, various characters seem to have motivation and opportunity
- The Goldfish Pond
to kill Ackroyd – adds to complexity of the plot and steers readers away from
- The Parlourmaid reality
- Poirot Pays a Call – mark of classism – GA higher class immediately blame servants
for missing money, rather than considering each other – especially because many
characters are in financial struggle – more suspects (motive)
- Round the Table – Poirot recognises Caroline as a source of valuable information
(clue to Sheppard’s guilt) – treatment of women
- Mrs Ackroyd
- Geoffrey Raymond
- An Evening at Mah Jong Red Herrings, misleadings and uncovering of characters guilts and
- Charles Kent characters. Poirot’s brilliance emphasised and universal guilt
- Flora Ackroyd starting to be uncovered
- Miss Russel
- The Paragraph in the Paper
