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FigFromHell t1_j5tiz7l wrote

I also enjoyed this book a lot, but if you allow, how do you feel about the casually thrown around racism in her books? If I recall correctly there is even a moment in which Poirot compares the egyptians to dogs? I am not trying to ruffle some feathers, just an honest questions because this is something that bothers me about her books although I enjoy them otherwise.

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OhSoManyQuestions t1_j5tk9xe wrote

Same as with any other period book. Consider them snapshots of history and what was probably acceptable at the time. You can enjoy a work whilst also acknowledging that a modern-day lens may render some parts of it problematic. It's unfair, in my opinion, to judge past art through a modern lens. It's not as though Agatha Christie was out there on the streets spreading hate, you know?

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Snickerty t1_j5tr529 wrote

I think Christie also sideswipe the casual racism of upper class (white) British people, too. Poirot is often the subject of zenophobia. His foreigness is pointed out in numerous "those people" and "what do you expect from foreigners" comments. Our hero may not rant and rave about the injustice of ridiculous comments made by small minded, high handed, unpleasant people, but we do witness the insults with him. Poirot is a stoic intellectual: his mustachioed upper lip may well be Belgian, but it is definitely stiff.

Also,as you say, the books are written of their time too. Christie was born a Victorian, after all.

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FigFromHell t1_j5tm6f3 wrote

Yeah, I guess it's just a representation of the times. Thank you

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Grace_Alcock t1_j5u4uv5 wrote

It’s not just the period. If you read other Golden Age mysteries, she stands out as particularly racist and classist.

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dumbdotcom t1_j5tkb3a wrote

I've only read And Then There Were None, which was previously titled "Ten Little Indians" (glad for the name change), which also had some anti-Semitic things thrown around as well as some good ol fashioned sexism. I was definitely uncomfortable reading it, but I just reminded myself the book was published in 1939. That doesn't make it ok, but it's clearly a product of its time. I just take a moment to roll my eyes and move on. If it were published more recently, I wouldn't bother with it, but it's an old book and society has thankfully gotten better about that stuff

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FigFromHell t1_j5tlnzn wrote

Thank you, this gives me some perspective. If you look for the original, original title you'll see it's even worse. I know because in my native language it's still the same, it has not changed to any of the new ones.

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starrynight179 OP t1_j5tkqzq wrote

As a person of color, any racism is disturbing to me, but I still think she was a good writer

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Grace_Alcock t1_j5u4mjj wrote

In her 20s books, she uses the n word and about half a dozen variations on anti-semitism. Not to mention the classism, or the fact that adoptive parents and children are almost invariably evil or insane. She’s pretty awful—and worse than a lot of her contemporaries were, in fact. But her books are so damned skillfully written that I still love them. I just don’t like HER much.

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