The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd - Hardcover
Kirkus Review Psychoanalyst Bayard takes a moment away from teaching French literature to reopen one of the most celebrated murder cases in fiction, with surprising results. To those readers (probably Bayard's entire audience) who object that the culprit has been obvious ever since Agatha Christie published The Murder of Roger Ackroyd in 1926, Bayard has a whole battery of answers. The evidence against the self-acknowledged killer, who nowhere explicitly confesses to the crime, is flimsy at best; Christie's work is "a model of polysemy" that generates more meanings than any single ending can control; Hercule Poirot, the detective who solves the crime, may well be delusional. (On this last point, Bayard's psychoanalytic training makes his argument as dense as it is unconvincing.) More generally and provocatively, Bayard insists that "all mystery fiction in effect implies the narrator's bad faith" and is therefore subject to endless reinterpretation, despite Poirot's conceited faith in his little gray cells. Bayard's investigation is hampered by several schoolboy errors and an often unidiomatic translation. One of the major suspects in the novel is omitted from his cast of characters; Christie's novel Five Little Pigs is confused with Ten Little Indians; and so many of her other titles are mistranslated that it becomes an intriguing minor mystery to figure out which novels are identified as The Valley, The Poisoned Pen, The Prothero Affair, and The Indiscretions of Hercule Poirot. Eventually, however, Bayard escapes these byways to propound a new solution that answers his objections about the one Christie gives. Even readers impatient with the subtleties of his entertainingly perverse argument are likely to find this solution satisfying. On the other hand, all but the most devoted theorists will catch a whiff, sooner or later, of a conference paper run amok.
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From the Back Cover:
About the Author:
Roger Ackroyd knew too much. He knew that the woman he loved had poisoned her brutal first husband. He suspected also that someone had been blackmailing her. Then, tragically, came the news that she had taken her own life with a drug overdose.
But the evening post brought Roger one last fatal scrap of information. Unfortunately, before he could finish reading the letter, he was stabbed to death.
Agatha Christie is the most popular mystery writer of all time. In a career that spans over half a century, her name is synonymous with brilliant deception, ingenious puzzles, and the surprise denouement. By virtually inventing the modern mystery novel she earned her title as the Queen of Crime.
Nigel Anthony’s many television credits include Coronation Street, Casualty, and Wycliffe. He is one of radio drama’s leading actors and has played hundreds of different roles. He has worked with Alan Ayckbourn’s theatre company and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Nigel Anthony’s many television credits include Coronation Street, Casualty, and Wycliffe. He is one of radio drama’s leading actors and has played hundreds of different roles. He has worked with Alan Ayckbourn’s theatre company and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherMead
- Publication date1967
- ISBN 10 0002315092
- ISBN 13 9780002315098
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages240
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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: v. 7 (Agatha Christie Collection S.)
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Book Description Hardback. Condition: Fair. A readable copy of the book which may include some defects such as highlighting and notes. Cover and pages may be creased and show discolouration. Seller Inventory # GOR001435752
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The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Good. VG green boards with gilt lettering along spine. Binding and hinges tight and square; contents clean and unmarked; foxing on top page edge; boards slightly warped. No dust jacket. 288 pp. The Greenway edition. All items carefully packed to avoid damage from moisture and rough handling. Seller Inventory # 036988
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