Class Description
One hundred years ago, in 1926, Agatha Christie published a Poirot mystery that sparked controversy, an unpleasant first for her. Later that year, her mother died and, another unbearable blow, her husband asked for a divorce. In December of that year, Christie disappeared, launching a nation-wide search. While she skips over the disappearance in her official autobiography, she reveals much through her fiction. First, we'll read the controversial Poirot mystery and then two other books—one a semi-autobiographical novel that reveals Christie's mental and emotional state of that year and the other a later Poirot mystery in which Christie, the dispassionate author, uses her experiences of that year to enrich her fiction.
Barbara Lanctot, teacher, writer, editor, has an MA in literature from the University of Detroit. She started reading Agatha Christie when she was in her tweens and hasn't stopped.
What to Expect
Format: In Person
Class Capacity: 10
Class Style: Mostly discussion; participation-based
Materials List
Required
- Agatha Christie, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. William Morrow, 2011. ISBN: 9780062073563
- Christie (writing as Mary Westmacott), Unfinished Portrait. Harper Collins, 2017. ISBN: 9780008131470
- Christie, Five Little Pigs. William Morrow, 2011. ISBN: 9780063375888
- Additional Instructor-Distributed Materials
First Assignment
- Read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie for the first session.
A Brief Syllabus
- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
- Unfinished Portrait
- Five Little Pigs
Cost and Registration
3 Sessions, $135 ($121.50 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.
We offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($135), Community Supported ($125), and Sponsor ($145). Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.
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RegisterThe views and opinions expressed in this class and/or by the instructor are not necessarily representative of the Newberry. We aim to ensure that in our classes, participants can have respectful disagreement to foster critical thinking. This is a space to challenge and expand our own worldviews to work towards better understanding and appreciating humanity.
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