tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206295108056025483.post1968581404085562904..comments2023-09-28T03:59:52.434-07:00Comments on The Corpse Steps Out: The Case of the FluJeffrey Markshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08422459407138331707noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206295108056025483.post-19244976315016200232015-10-29T13:33:46.683-07:002015-10-29T13:33:46.683-07:00Roger, the quote was from when she was younger, so...Roger, the quote was from when she was younger, so I'm thinking it was circa 1902-1907ish, which would predate the war and the Spanish flu. I would have thought that she saw a great deal of flu via the war and the hospital she worked with. Jeffrey Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08422459407138331707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206295108056025483.post-67605023686272950842015-10-29T10:55:40.437-07:002015-10-29T10:55:40.437-07:00That was a comparatively mild epidemic: take a lo...That was a comparatively mild epidemic: take a look at accounts of the Spanish flu and you'll see why I'm sceptical of the claim that Christie was inspired by flu. Even if Christie had a mild attack, the fact that people could suddenly get worse and die wouldn't be good for her peace of mind.<br />On the other hand, she might have had a different kind of flu before the 1918 pandemic, which does rather do for my theories. As I said, though, someone who went through the Spanish flu, as patient or observer, would associate flu and depression and if someone in a story had to have a reason to kill themselves it would probably come up as an obvious explanation.Roger Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11012987757094423896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206295108056025483.post-44264396191003515382015-10-28T13:56:32.374-07:002015-10-28T13:56:32.374-07:00Roger, I had the swine flu in April, and all I did...Roger, I had the swine flu in April, and all I did was read.. I went through about 10 books that week. Jeffrey Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08422459407138331707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206295108056025483.post-25322771906291436982015-10-28T10:46:54.569-07:002015-10-28T10:46:54.569-07:00I've also been surprised by the flu-as-suicide...I've also been surprised by the flu-as-suicide-motive: the mind boggles somewhat. <br />There is a book where Poirot pretends to be a lot less well than he really is. <br />There are a few weak hearts around - it makes people easy to kill: eg Towards Zero.Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206295108056025483.post-27538869523446187662015-10-28T02:59:26.033-07:002015-10-28T02:59:26.033-07:00Thinking further about it, I'm beginning to th...Thinking further about it, I'm beginning to think that "Christie inspired by flu" is a myth. Flu would leave someone in no condition to read, let alone write - especially to write a book with a complex plot, like a detective story. Perhaps when she was recovering but still physically weak she started writing.<br />On the other hand the 1918-1920 flu pandemic was the most lethal illness in human history, so whether she had flu, knew people who had flu or saw it from a pharmacy it would have had a strong impact on Christie. The aftereffects in some cases lasted years - some of the cases in Oliver Sacks' Awakenings were people with illnesses caused by flu. According to one description "Many who survived their bouts with influenza were left with weakened bodies and minds prone to depression for years to come. " It's not surprising that Christie closely associated flu and depression and if the plot required someone to be depressed or listless she used flu as a cause/Roger Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11012987757094423896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206295108056025483.post-22969597180331225462015-10-27T17:45:58.235-07:002015-10-27T17:45:58.235-07:00THanks Dave. I thought I recalled a Poirot story w...THanks Dave. I thought I recalled a Poirot story with the flu, but I kept mixing it up with his complaints of mal-de-mer...Jeffrey Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08422459407138331707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206295108056025483.post-47650175174240799652015-10-27T17:28:02.376-07:002015-10-27T17:28:02.376-07:00Dave, I knew there was at least one more instance ...Dave, I knew there was at least one more instance of flu in the Christie stories and couldn't think which story it was. Thanks for mentioning it (so I wouldn't be wondering all night.... :-) )Bev Hankinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01127476456755776574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206295108056025483.post-63080667193105898432015-10-27T15:45:32.118-07:002015-10-27T15:45:32.118-07:00the poirot short story the mystery of hunters lodg...the poirot short story the mystery of hunters lodge opens with poirot having the fluAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13140948263506359309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206295108056025483.post-45963243067041216672015-10-27T14:39:30.594-07:002015-10-27T14:39:30.594-07:00From Letter to Lord Byron, which is well worth rea...From Letter to Lord Byron, which is well worth reading.Roger Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11012987757094423896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206295108056025483.post-57262707363664648642015-10-27T12:40:39.294-07:002015-10-27T12:40:39.294-07:00Great quote. I may use that later!Great quote. I may use that later!Jeffrey Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08422459407138331707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206295108056025483.post-38996881592493564682015-10-27T12:38:48.785-07:002015-10-27T12:38:48.785-07:00", it's no small matter that one of her e...", it's no small matter that one of her early links to the world of writing came from the flu.... I've read this story many times about mystery authors"<br /><br />Not just mystery writers: <br />Professor Housman was I think the first<br /> To say in print how very stimulating <br />The little ills by which mankind is cursed, <br />The colds, the aches, the pains are to creating;<br /> Indeed one hardly goes too far in stating <br />That many a flawless lyric may be due <br />Not to a lover's broken heart, but 'flu.<br /><br />said W.H. Auden, though Housman's poems were inspired by a broken heart. Perhaps, as with Keats, a fatal illness and a broken heart are most effective.Roger Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11012987757094423896noreply@blogger.com