Curious About John Cavendish's Car

For me, trains have always been relegated to America's past. Perhaps things would be different if I lived on the East Coast. As it is, I grew up taking buses when a car wasn't available. The only times I took a train anywhere were at amusement parks like Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm, where I got to see train robbers and dinosaurs. That was cool.

Trains such as the one above, that transports Captain Hastings to the station near Styles Court, aren't just a part of England's heritage. Every time we visit England, we take a train, whether it transports us from Heathrow Airport to London, across a big city like London above or below-ground, or across the beautiful English countryside from one city to another. England even has high-speed trains, like the one featured in the movie "Mission Impossible," in which secret agent Ethan Hunt hangs onto the rear carriage pursued by a helicopter firing volleys of gunfire his way. The helicopter even follows the train into an underground tunnel, where the pilot eventually discovers that underground train tunnels weren't designed with helicopters in mind. Someday I'd love to take a high-speed train across England. I wonder if there's anyway to ensure that a secret agent like Ethan Hunt isn't riding on it before I purchase my ticket?

I'm not a car-guy. I don't attend auto shows. I don't subscribe to car magazines. I don't lust over the horsepower numbers of Detroit's latest muscle cars. But somehow, when I watch a period show like "Agatha Christie's Poirot", the cars really draw my eye. I wonder about them, such as the one that John Cavendish drives when he picks up his friend Captain Hastings at the train station. This one looks real basic. It doesn't even have a trunk, so John Cavendish has to tie Hasting's suitcase down on the back. I don't know if it has a foot-pedal for a brake, but it has a lever that John yanks to stop the car. It's located outside the car, so he has to reach out over the door, grab the lever, and pull it toward him to come to a complete stop. I don't know about you, but that sounds like his hand and arm (not to mention his suit) would get soaked if he had to drive it in the rain.

Agatha Christie's no help in identifying what type of car John Cavendish likes, or why he bought that make and model. She simply calls it "a motor," and mentions that, as his step-mother uses the car to help out the community, the government gives the family authorization to buy a limited amount of petrol. (This is a big deal, as all resources are rationed during World War I). Still, I really like the looks of these old cars, and I wish the TV producers would include a list of what automobiles they used in their period productions. Maybe they would be forced to, if these old cars had a better union.

I don't know about you, but it'd be a way of making the credits more interesting to the viewer, instead of seeing a list of the person who supplied the vanilla shot for the tea latte of the third production assistant's secretary. Oh, and don't forget the person who supplied the pencils for the purchasing agent who authorized the hire company to supply three exact copies of the dress the actress below is wearing. That's essential information!

If there's any vintage car buffs out there, I'd love to hear your thoughts on what make and model of car you think John Cavendish drives. I'm not sure what I'd do with the knowledge, but I am curious.

Hercule Poirot Doesn't Swear

One factor in how a story ages is the words with which it is written. I don't mean the language itself, such as English or French, but the idioms and words that fail to pass the test of time. As a native Belgian, Hercule Poirot often salts his English with a word or phrase of French. Sometimes the editor of an edition of Christie's novels will translate that into English for the reader. Most often not. Either way, Poirot makes his point perfectly clear in English, and uses words that today's readers readily understand. Thus, knowing (or looking up) the French remarks merely enhances an already pleasurable reading experience. 

In comparing Christie's writing with that of her contemporary, Baroness Emma Orczy, one thing I found interesting was the number of words I stumbled over in the latter's novel The Scarlet Pimpernel. Many times these were French words in use during that country's revolution, such as Ci-Devant, which meant "former," and was commonly associated with the aristocrats the revolutionaries killed, arrested, or otherwise stripped of land, title, and power. But other words also tripped me up, and these were English words, not French. Many of these were swear words.

Although spoken in English, these words and phrases communicated nothing to me. Here's one for you: Odd's fish. Say it with feeling: "Odd's fish!" Feel better? Good, because I've got a few more to consider: "Zooks" and "Zounds." I especially like these last two, because they start with "Z", one of the most underutilized letters in the English alphabet. These three words and phrases, along with equally mystifying others, are readily and repeatedly expounded by the Scarlet Pimpernel and his associates. "Odd's Fish!" "Zooks!" "Zounds!" It's a fair bet you haven't heard anyone using words and phrases like that recently.

These swear words are abbreviations, or short-hand for invoking the name of the Divine. Thus, when someone snapped "Odd's Fish!" what he really meant was "God's Fish!" Zooks and Zounds are even more evocative. Zooks is short for Gadzooks, which apparently meant God's Hooks, or the nails used to impale Jesus to the cross. Zounds was short for wounds, or more specifically God's Wounds, such as those Christ received from the nails driven into him on the cross. Such abbreviations are called minced oaths, in which a blasphemous or taboo term is replaced by one less objectionable. Still, everyone then knew what the speaker was referring to.

Beginning authors often salt their characters' dialogue with swear words. It's an easy way to reveal a character's anger, sadness, or disgust. As an author matures, he or she may find more sophisticated ways of revealing emotions and turmoil without resorting to such crassness. This takes work and skill, as it involves the author striving to widen his readership to entertaining without offending his readers. To me this seems a worthy, and perhaps even noble, goal.

I have no idea how Baroness Emma Orczy portrayed herself in the media. By all accounts The Scarlet Pimpernel caused a sensation in the early 20th Century. Yet I'm sure we can agree that, a hundred years later, that novel, and those that followed in the series, are not read as often, or as widely, and certainly are not loved and taught and adapted and discussed as much as those of Agatha Christie. What strikes me as even more notable is that Baroness Emma Orczy was a deposed aristocrat. Given her upbringing, I have to wonder: did she swear in public like her characters?

Unlike Orczy's character Sir Percy Blakeney, Hercule Poirot is a humble Belgian policeman. Whereas Blakeney was born to power, Poirot must earn his place in society. While Blakeney hangs out with the English aristocracy, including the British royal family, Poirot must impress them with his conduct, as well as his little grey cells. So it makes sense that, while Poirot often flaunts expectations by his conclusions and actions, he doesn't flaunt others' expectations of proper conduct by using words and phrases that others may find offensive. Not even in Agatha Christie's first novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Perhaps that's part of the secret to Hercule Poirot's enduring popularity, and an example of the wisdom contained in Agatha Christie's little grey cells.

Agatha Christie's Exclusive Club

My research into links between Agatha Christie and her literary predecessor, Baroness Emma Orczy, uncovered one indisputable fact. The two writers knew each other and conversed with each other, as they belonged to the same writers' club. This was called the Detection Club, or the London Detection Club, formed in 1928, a decade after The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published. In 1930, when the members formalized their group, Agatha Christie and Baroness Emma Orczy were listed as charter members, along with other luminaries of the mystery genre, including G. K. Chesterton (The Father Brown Mysteries), Dorothy L. Sayers (the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries), and A. A. Milne (Hey, Winnie-the-Pooh stories are mysteries too, right?) 

Thereafter, the members would admit additional authors into their ranks, but only those whose work set them apart from their fellows. Some members whose works I have read, who have since been received as members of this exclusive club, include P. D. James (The Children of Men) and John Le Carre (The Spy Who Came In From The Cold). Other authors, whose novels and TV adaptations have become important to me, are Reginald Hill (the Dalziel and Pascoe mysteries), Colin Dexter (the Inspector Morse mysteries, which also formed the basis for today's Inspector Lewis TV series), and Jonathan Gash (writer of the Lovejoy mysteries, upon which the too-short TV series starring Ian McShane was based). 

The Detection Club is still around today, with an interactive website that is regularly maintained and updated. There you can find a list of past members, references to important golden age British mystery authors, writer biographies, and even essays on how to write detective stories. There's a lot to read and discover there, if you're so inclined. I've included the direct link to their Agatha Christie page below. From there, you can explore further on your own. So if you find it of value, and learn something you'd like to share with me, feel free to leave a comment below. Personally, I can't help wondering what Agatha Christie and Baroness Emma Orczy might have spoken about, perhaps seated in two comfortable chairs, and enjoying a cup of hot tea and chocolate biscuits. Or what she might have talked to G. K. Chesterton about. 

Who knows, maybe she even shared her thoughts on Winnie-the-Pooh with A. A. Milne. If so, I'm betting she put a spoonful of honey into her tea. As a mark of respect, if you know what I mean, mon ami.

Related Internet Links
Agatha Christie's Page

Agatha Christie: Inspiration For Hercule Poirot

In the TV adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Hercule Poirot lectures a group of fellow Belgian refugees on English horticulture: specifically, the Scarlet Pimpernel. As this scene doesn't appear in the novel, this got me wondering if screenwriter Clive Exton saw any similarities between the two fictional characters. When Agatha Christie invented Hercule Poirot for his first novel, writer Baroness Emma Orczy's own creation, The Scarlet Pimpernel (SP), was flying high in the British public mindset. Her play of the same name had caused a sensation, which led her to write a novelization, and then a series of bestselling novels on her famous hero. In time, Agatha Christie's character of Hercule Poirot would overtake Orczy's creation, but I couldn't help but wonder, given his popularity at the time, if Christie's creation of Poirot might have been in any way inspired by that of Orczy.

While reading Baroness Emma Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel, I noticed the two novels share some intriguing similarities. Both occur during wartime, with SP set during the French Revolution, and Styles set during World War I. Both concern the fate of refugees, with SP rescuing the French aristocracy, and Mrs. Emily Inglethorp arranging for the housing of Belgian refugees in her village. Both are largely written from the point of view of someone who initially underestimates the hero: in Styles, the narrator is Hastings, who sees Poirot as intelligent, but can't help but feeling he'd make a better detective. In The Scarlet Pimpernel, Marguerite sees her husband as simple-minded, and wonders how she could have been so stupid to have married him. This is because both protagonists hide their intelligence like a cloak, and wish others to underestimate them. 

The third act of both novels concern a dramatic rescue. In The Scarlet Pimpernel, Marguerite sails across a storm-tossed sea to France, where she attempts to warn SP that a trap has been set for him, while he is attempting to rescue more of the French aristocracy. In Styles, Hercule Poirot races against time, taking a cab from London down to Styles Court, to search for the vital clue that would save an innocent man from a courtroom prosecutor's utterly-convincing arguments. In both cases, the fate the protagonists eventually save the innocent from is death: in SP, by the guillotine. In Styles, the hangman's noose.

Both heroes are particular about their appearance. In Styles, when Captain Hastings races to Poirot's home to tell him of Emily Inglethorp's murder, Poirot urges Hastings to calm down, to recount the important incidents of the last few days, while he dresses and combs his mustache. He then straightens Hasting's tie, and remarks on his friend's disheveled appearance, before he will allow his friend to accompany him back to Styles Court. This is hardly an aberration for Poirot, as he is always impeccably dressed, with his smart suits, hats, and walking stick, which makes him stand out in the TV series. In The Scarlet Pimpernel, SP's alter ego Sir Percy Blakeney is also renowned for his impeccable dress sense. In fact, he leads the London fashion scene, wearing new styles of clothing that others in society take note of, and begin wearing as a result. Both men form a focal point at parties, their unique appearance and magnetic personalities enhancing the appeal of any social do. Hercule Poirot may not toss out the verbal witticisms like Percy, but those who speak with him find his dialogue no less memorable.

I've no doubt that more similarities could be drawn between the two characters and novels, and if you've spotted any that I've overlooked, I'd love to hear from you. I'm also curious what you think of my analysis. Based on the similarities I've listed above, do you think Agatha Christie, at least in part, base Hercule Poirot on this other popular fictional hero? Or are all these attributes simply elements that make for an interesting character and a popular series of novels?