Date of Award
8-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
English
Committee Chair/Advisor
Dr. Gabriel Hankins
Committee Member
Dr. Susanna Ashton
Committee Member
Dr. David Coombs
Committee Member
Dr. James Burns
Abstract
This thesis reexamines Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles as a literary response and representation to World War I, arguing that it deserves recognition as a novel of wartime trauma rather than being confined solely to the realm of popular detective fiction. Influenced by Christie’s firsthand experiences as a wartime nurse, the novel subtly weaves themes of personal wartime experience and trauma into its plot, characters, and setting. Christie’s protagonist, Mr. Hastings, represents the returning soldier attempting to reintegrate into society, while Hercule Poirot—a Belgian refugee—embodies the war’s broader displacement and disruption. Set during World War I in a countryside estate that has been forced to function as a “war household,” the novel quietly reflects the impact of rationing, loss, and uncertainty on everyday life. These elements, though understated, serve as key narrative devices and shape the literary text as a whole. While Christie’s contribution to the Golden Age of Detective Fiction is well established, this thesis explores how her fiction also serves as a historical document of wartime experience. The clue-puzzle format is not only entertaining, but it also mirrors a cultural desire for order, logic, and meaning following the chaos of war. Christie’s meticulous attention to detail—especially regarding poisons and human behavior—derives from her medical training and provides authenticity to her narrative. Her frequent use of poisoning as a murder method reflects a deeper familiarity with suffering and death, grounded in personal experience rather than detached imagination. Despite often being excluded from conversations about war literature, Christie’s early work challenges traditional, male-centered portrayals of the soldier’s experience by highlighting the domestic, medical, and psychological aspects of wartime life. This thesis calls for Christie to be brought into the broader literary discourse on World War I. Her work not only reshaped detective fiction but also preserved a unique perspective on the war’s cultural and emotional legacy, revealing the quiet resilience required to move forward in its aftermath.
Recommended Citation
Puckett, Alayna, "Beyond World War I: Post-War Trauma in Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles" (2025). All Theses. 4610.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/4610