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> Home Blog Agatha Christie in revision. (A2-B1)

Agatha Christie in revision. (A2-B1)

965 Views 2 Liked Posted on: May 3rd 2023

Agatha Christie in revision

Niveau A2-B1 (débutant)

Photo de couverture : Ian Fleming_© Kraft74 Shutterstock.com

Times change. People change. Thoughts change. Things that were acceptable yesterday, are not acceptable today. Things that were acceptable yesterday can be frankly shocking. Luckily times change!

 

Agatha_Christie_Jelena990 Shutterstock.com

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Roald Dahl_ urbanbuzz Shutterstock.com.

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Today there is a lot of change in literature. Why? Because books reflect society. And today, society is more aware. What about the books that were written yesterday? These books reflect the society at that time. Are they still acceptable today, or must we change them? Currently, this is a hot debate.

 

A lot of people say we must adapt yesterday’s books for today’s readers. Agatha Christie’s books are a great example. Sensitivity editors are revising the Poirot and Miss Marple mystery novels for racism. Some of these revised books are already republished, but others will be republished soon.

Christie is the best-selling author of all time, but she is also a product of the society she lived in. In Christie’s books that were published between 1920 and 1976, there are insulting descriptions and references to certain groups of people. In the republished books, editors are changing vocabulary, expressions and racial descriptors. For example, in a short story collection called Miss Marple’s Final Cases and Two Other Stories, Christie described an angry judge with the words “his Indian temper’. The modified text now says, ‘his temper’.

Are Agatha Christie’s novels the only books being revised and rewritten? No, books by Roald Dahl and Ian Fleming are also concerned. Dahl is the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but he is also the author of nearly 50 other books. Fleming is the author of the famous James Bond stories.

Some people think it’s better to read the original versions of these books. They want to know what society was like when the author wrote their books. They believe that you can’t change history, and they want to honour it. Other people want to erase the parts of history that make them uncomfortable.

 

What do you want?

frankly = franchement

shocking = choquant

luckily = heureusement

to be aware = avoir conscience

currently = actuellement

sensitivity editor = un relecteur sensible

a novel = un roman

insulting = offensant

temper = mauvais caractère

to know what + sujet + to be like = savoir…comment était…

Posted in: Culture, News, Testimonies

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