I found an oldie on the shelves this week. Agatha Christie's Parker Pyne Investigates collects the politically incorrect (two of the tales include the terms "darkie" and "dago") short stories Christie wrote in the early 30s in their entirety as one book. The appeal of the stories is not in their plots so much as the smug arrogance and fatuous psychology espoused by Mr. Parker Pyne in his (successful) attempts to make fictional men and women happy. I found myself equally horrified and entertained by Mr. Pyne and his one-dimensional clients.
Most of the short stories were originally published in Cosmopolitan; consequently, more than anything else, they give us a glimpse at the Cosmo-girl of Depression-era America.
No comments:
Post a Comment