“It is easy to kill with poison”: The shadow of the First World War in Agatha Christie’s fiction

Abstract

Agatha Christie, generally known as a British writer, wrote books that immerse readers in intriguing plots. Many do not know that she was a nurse and pharmacy assistant in producing medication and toxic substances during the First World War. Her performance during this major war conflict was important for the construction and development of her productions, in which death by poisoning is a frequent theme, a particularity in which she was a specialist. This article aims to highlight how the roles played by Agatha in the First World War influenced the author’s writings, of which The Mysterious Affair at Styles and Five Little Pigs are examples. The methodology is qualitative, with the bibliographic review based on Agatha Christie’s autobiography and biography. We use the conceptual approach of mimesis, as in Aristotle, to elucidate representations of wars in narratives. The author’s participation in the infirmary and dispensary during the First World War influenced her narrative creations, and the same applies to her personal and family experiences.