84 pages 2 hours read

Agatha Christie

Crooked House

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1949

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Introduction

Crooked House

  • Genre: Fiction; crime fiction
  • Originally Published: 1949
  • Reading Level/Interest: College/adult
  • Structure/Length: 26 chapters; approx. 256 pages
  • Protagonist and Central Conflict: The unsteady twists in Three Gables, the home of the Leonides family, physically represent the lies and betrayal within the family. When the patriarch dies, a murder investigation ensues, where everyone is a suspect until the deadly end.
  • Potential Sensitivity Issues: Murder; suicide

Agatha Christie, Author

  • Bio: Born 1890 in Devon, England; died 1976; disappeared for a while; traveled widely; writing adapted for television and film; won Edgar Award for Witness for the Prosecution (1955); awarded Anthony Award for best Series of the Century and Writer of the Century (2000); wrote the world’s longest-running play, The Mousetrap; bestselling novelist, with only the Bible and Shakespeare selling more
  • Other Works: The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920); Murder on the Orient Express (1934); And Then There Were None (1943); Verdict (1953)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

  • Inherited Morality and The Bad Seed
  • Toxic Familial Relationships
  • The Importance of Reputation

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

  • Explore background information on Agatha Christie and the Golden Age of mystery to increase their engagement with and understanding of Crooked House.
  • Read/study paired texts and other brief resources to deepen their understanding of themes related to Inherited Morality and The Bad Seed, Toxic Familial Relationships, and The Importance of Reputation.
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