Ariadne Oliver
Encyclopedia
Ariadne Oliver is a fictional character
in the novels of Agatha Christie
. She is a mystery
novelist and a friend of Hercule Poirot
.
.
In the books, Oliver's most famous works are those featuring her vegetarian Finn detective Sven Hjerson. Since she knows nothing of Finland, Oliver frequently laments Hjerson's existence. In many of her appearances, Oliver—and her feelings toward Hjerson—reflect Agatha Christie's own frustrations as an author, particularly with the Belgian Hercule Poirot (an example of self-insertion
). The self-caricature has also been used to discuss Christie's own follies in her earlier novels. For instance, in Mrs McGinty's Dead
, Mrs. Oliver talks of having made the blowpipe a foot long in one of her novels, whereas the actual length is something like four-and-a-half feet—the same mistake Christie made in Death in the Clouds
.
In The Pale Horse
, Mrs. Oliver is acquainted with the Rev. and Mrs. Dane Colthrop, who are also friends of Miss Marple
(as seen in The Moving Finger
)—thus establishing that Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot exist in the same world. In Cards on the Table
, there is a reference to Mrs. Oliver's book The Body in the Library
; this title was used by Christie six years later, for a novel featuring Miss Marple.
Books by Ariadne Oliver and by a number of other fictitious mystery writers are discussed by the characters in the Poirot novel The Clocks
(1963).
Like Christie, she is a member of Detection Club
. Christie even thought of placing a murder at the Club with Oliver being one of the suspects/detective but it came to nothing. (Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks edited by John Curran).
Ariadne Oliver also makes an appearance in Agatha Christie's book "Elephants Can Remember".
In a short piece in John Bull
Magazine in 1956, Christie was quoted as saying, "I never take my stories from real life, but the character of Ariadne Oliver does have a strong dash of myself." The author of the article went on to state, "It is perfectly true that sometimes she works at her stories in a large old-fashioned bath, eating apples and depositing the cores on the wide mahogany surround."
she does interview some of the suspects, and in Elephants Can Remember
she again interviews witnesses, but none of the essential ones. She is more usually used for comic relief
or to provide a deus ex machina
through her intuitive or sudden insights, a function that is especially apparent in Third Girl
in which she furnishes Poirot with virtually every important clue, or in The Pale Horse, where she guesses the type of poison used to kill the murder victims.
Further functions of Mrs. Oliver are: to enable Christie to discuss overtly the techniques of detective fiction; to contrast the more fanciful apparatuses employed by mystery authors with the apparent realism
of her own plots; and to satirise
Christie's own experiences and instincts as a writer. Mrs. Oliver therefore serves a range of literary purposes for Christie.
magazine (issue number 554) under the sub-heading of Are You Happy? If Not Consult Mr. Parker Pyne. The story first appeared in the UK in issue 614 of Woman's Pictorial on 15 October 1932 and was later published in book form in 1934 as Parker Pyne Investigates
(titled Mr. Parker Pyne, Detective in the US). Within this story she appeared as part of Pyne's unorthodox team of freelance assistants. All her subsequent appearances (save one) were in Poirot novels:
A 1986 adaptation of Dead Man's Folly starred Jean Stapleton as Ariadne Oliver.
Zoë Wanamaker
has played Ariadne Oliver in four television episodes of the series Agatha Christie's Poirot
starring David Suchet
as Hercule Poirot
. (Wanamaker also played the part of Letitia Blacklock in the 2005 version of A Murder is Announced
for the Marple
series starring Geraldine McEwan
.)
In the BBC Radio 4 plays, Ariadne Oliver has been played by Stephanie Cole
in Cards on the Table and The Pale Horse and more recently by Julia McKenzie
in Dead Man's Folly and Elephants Can Remember.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the novels of Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
. She is a mystery
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
novelist and a friend of Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. Along with Miss Marple, Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-lived characters, appearing in 33 novels and 51 short stories published between 1920 and 1975 and set in the same era.Poirot has been portrayed on...
.
Profile
Mrs. Oliver often assists Poirot in his cases through her knowledge of the criminal mind. She often claims to be endowed with particular "feminine intuition," but it usually leads her astray. She is particularly fond of apples, which becomes a plot point in the novel Hallowe'en PartyHallowe'en Party
Hallowe'en Party is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in November 1969 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edition retailed for twenty-five shillings. In preparation for decimalisation on...
.
In the books, Oliver's most famous works are those featuring her vegetarian Finn detective Sven Hjerson. Since she knows nothing of Finland, Oliver frequently laments Hjerson's existence. In many of her appearances, Oliver—and her feelings toward Hjerson—reflect Agatha Christie's own frustrations as an author, particularly with the Belgian Hercule Poirot (an example of self-insertion
Self-insertion
Self-insertion is a literary device in which an author character who is the real author of a work of fiction appears as a character within that fiction, either overtly or in disguise....
). The self-caricature has also been used to discuss Christie's own follies in her earlier novels. For instance, in Mrs McGinty's Dead
Mrs McGinty's Dead
Mrs. McGinty's Dead is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in February 1952 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on March 3 of the same year. The US edition retailed at $2.50 and the UK edition nine shillings and sixpence...
, Mrs. Oliver talks of having made the blowpipe a foot long in one of her novels, whereas the actual length is something like four-and-a-half feet—the same mistake Christie made in Death in the Clouds
Death in the Clouds
Death in the Clouds is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company on March 10 1935 under the title of Death in the Air and in UK by the Collins Crime Club in the July of the same year under Christie's original title. The US edition...
.
In The Pale Horse
The Pale Horse (novel)
The Pale Horse is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 6 November 1961 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edition retailed at fifteen shillings and the US edition at $3.75...
, Mrs. Oliver is acquainted with the Rev. and Mrs. Dane Colthrop, who are also friends of Miss Marple
Miss Marple
Jane Marple, usually referred to as Miss Marple, is a fictional character appearing in twelve of Agatha Christie's crime novels and in twenty short stories. Miss Marple is an elderly spinster who lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur detective. She is one of the most famous...
(as seen in The Moving Finger
The Moving Finger
The Moving Finger is detective fiction novel by Agatha Christie, first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in July 1942 and in UK by the Collins Crime Club in June 1943. The US edition retailed at $2.00 and the UK edition at seven shillings and sixpence...
)—thus establishing that Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot exist in the same world. In Cards on the Table
Cards on the Table
Cards on the Table is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on November 2 1936 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year...
, there is a reference to Mrs. Oliver's book The Body in the Library
The Body in the Library
The Body in the Library is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in February 1942 and in UK by the Collins Crime Club in May of the same year. The US edition retailed at $2.00 and the UK edition at seven shillings and sixpence...
; this title was used by Christie six years later, for a novel featuring Miss Marple.
Books by Ariadne Oliver and by a number of other fictitious mystery writers are discussed by the characters in the Poirot novel The Clocks
The Clocks (novel)
The Clocks is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on November 7, 1963 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. It features the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot...
(1963).
Like Christie, she is a member of Detection Club
Detection Club
The Detection Club was formed in 1930 by a group of British mystery writers, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Freeman Wills Crofts, Arthur Morrison, John Rhode, Jessie Rickard, Baroness Emma Orczy, R. Austin Freeman, G.D.H. Cole, Margaret Cole, E.C. Bentley, and H.C. Bailey. Anthony...
. Christie even thought of placing a murder at the Club with Oliver being one of the suspects/detective but it came to nothing. (Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks edited by John Curran).
Ariadne Oliver also makes an appearance in Agatha Christie's book "Elephants Can Remember".
In a short piece in John Bull
John Bull (magazine)
John Bull Magazine was a weekly periodical established in the City, London EC4, by Theodore Hook in 1820.-Publication dates:It was a popular periodical that continued in production through 1824 and at least until 1957...
Magazine in 1956, Christie was quoted as saying, "I never take my stories from real life, but the character of Ariadne Oliver does have a strong dash of myself." The author of the article went on to state, "It is perfectly true that sometimes she works at her stories in a large old-fashioned bath, eating apples and depositing the cores on the wide mahogany surround."
Literary function
Even in the one novel in which she appears without Poirot, Mrs. Oliver does not function as a detective, in that she rarely participates in the investigation and contributes only tangentially to the solution. In Cards on the TableCards on the Table
Cards on the Table is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on November 2 1936 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year...
she does interview some of the suspects, and in Elephants Can Remember
Elephants Can Remember
Elephants Can Remember is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in November 1972 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edition retailed for £1.60 and the US edition at $6.95.It features her Belgian...
she again interviews witnesses, but none of the essential ones. She is more usually used for comic relief
Comic relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.-Definition:...
or to provide a deus ex machina
Deus ex machina
A deus ex machina is a plot device whereby a seemingly inextricable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object.-Linguistic considerations:...
through her intuitive or sudden insights, a function that is especially apparent in Third Girl
Third Girl
Third Girl is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in November 1966 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edition retailed at eighteen shillings and the US edition at $4.50.It features her Belgian...
in which she furnishes Poirot with virtually every important clue, or in The Pale Horse, where she guesses the type of poison used to kill the murder victims.
Further functions of Mrs. Oliver are: to enable Christie to discuss overtly the techniques of detective fiction; to contrast the more fanciful apparatuses employed by mystery authors with the apparent realism
Literary realism
Literary realism most often refers to the trend, beginning with certain works of nineteenth-century French literature and extending to late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century authors in various countries, towards depictions of contemporary life and society "as they were." In the spirit of...
of her own plots; and to satirise
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
Christie's own experiences and instincts as a writer. Mrs. Oliver therefore serves a range of literary purposes for Christie.
Literary appearances
The true first appearance of Mrs. Oliver was a brief appearance in the short story The Case of the Discontented Soldier which was first published, along with four other stories in the August 1932 issue of the US version of CosmopolitanCosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
magazine (issue number 554) under the sub-heading of Are You Happy? If Not Consult Mr. Parker Pyne. The story first appeared in the UK in issue 614 of Woman's Pictorial on 15 October 1932 and was later published in book form in 1934 as Parker Pyne Investigates
Parker Pyne Investigates
Parker Pyne Investigates is a short story collection written by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by William Collins and Sons in November 1934. Along with The Listerdale Mystery, this collection did not appear under the usual imprint of the Collins Crime Club but instead appeared as...
(titled Mr. Parker Pyne, Detective in the US). Within this story she appeared as part of Pyne's unorthodox team of freelance assistants. All her subsequent appearances (save one) were in Poirot novels:
- Cards on the TableCards on the TableCards on the Table is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on November 2 1936 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year...
(1936) - Mrs McGinty's DeadMrs McGinty's DeadMrs. McGinty's Dead is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in February 1952 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on March 3 of the same year. The US edition retailed at $2.50 and the UK edition nine shillings and sixpence...
(1952) - Dead Man's FollyDead Man's FollyDead Man's Folly is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in October 1956 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on November 5 of the same year. The US edition retailed at $2.95 and the UK edition at twelve shillings and sixpence ....
(1956) - The Pale HorseThe Pale Horse (novel)The Pale Horse is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 6 November 1961 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edition retailed at fifteen shillings and the US edition at $3.75...
(1961) Oliver's only appearance in a Christie novel without Poirot's involvement. - Third GirlThird GirlThird Girl is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in November 1966 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edition retailed at eighteen shillings and the US edition at $4.50.It features her Belgian...
(1966) - Hallowe'en PartyHallowe'en PartyHallowe'en Party is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in November 1969 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edition retailed for twenty-five shillings. In preparation for decimalisation on...
(1969) - Elephants Can RememberElephants Can RememberElephants Can Remember is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in November 1972 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edition retailed for £1.60 and the US edition at $6.95.It features her Belgian...
(1972)
Representations in film, television and radio adaptations
The first appearance of Ariadne Oliver on television was in an episode of The Agatha Christie Hour in 1982. In an adaptation of the Parker Pyne story The Case of the Discontented Soldier, she was played by Lally Bowers.A 1986 adaptation of Dead Man's Folly starred Jean Stapleton as Ariadne Oliver.
Zoë Wanamaker
Zoe Wanamaker
Zoë Wanamaker, CBE is an American-British actress. She has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company; in films, including the Harry Potter series; and in a number of television productions, including a long-time role as Susan Harper in the sitcom My Family.-Early life and family:Wanamaker was...
has played Ariadne Oliver in four television episodes of the series Agatha Christie's Poirot
Agatha Christie's Poirot
Agatha Christie's Poirot is a British television drama that has aired on ITV since 1989. It stars David Suchet as Agatha Christie's fictional detective Hercule Poirot. It was originally made by LWT and is now made by ITV Studios...
starring David Suchet
David Suchet
David Suchet, CBE, is an English actor, known for his work on British television. He is recognised for his RTS- and BPG award-winning performance as Augustus Melmotte in the 2001 British TV mini-drama The Way We Live Now, alongside Matthew Macfadyen and Paloma Baeza, and a 1991 British Academy...
as Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. Along with Miss Marple, Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-lived characters, appearing in 33 novels and 51 short stories published between 1920 and 1975 and set in the same era.Poirot has been portrayed on...
. (Wanamaker also played the part of Letitia Blacklock in the 2005 version of A Murder is Announced
A Murder is Announced
A Murder is Announced is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in June 1950 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in the same month...
for the Marple
Marple (TV series)
Marple is a British television series based on the Miss Marple and other murder mystery novels by Agatha Christie. It is also known as Agatha Christie's Marple. The title character was played by Geraldine McEwan from the first to third series, until her retirement from the role. She was replaced...
series starring Geraldine McEwan
Geraldine McEwan
Geraldine McEwan is an English actor with a diverse history in theatre, film, and television. From 2004 to 2009 she appeared as Miss Marple, the Agatha Christie sleuth, for the series Marple.-Background:...
.)
- Cards on the TableCards on the TableCards on the Table is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on November 2 1936 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year...
(2005) - Mrs McGinty's DeadMrs McGinty's DeadMrs. McGinty's Dead is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in February 1952 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on March 3 of the same year. The US edition retailed at $2.50 and the UK edition nine shillings and sixpence...
(2008) - Third GirlThird GirlThird Girl is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in November 1966 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edition retailed at eighteen shillings and the US edition at $4.50.It features her Belgian...
(2008) - Hallowe'en PartyHallowe'en PartyHallowe'en Party is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in November 1969 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edition retailed for twenty-five shillings. In preparation for decimalisation on...
(2010)
In the BBC Radio 4 plays, Ariadne Oliver has been played by Stephanie Cole
Stephanie Cole
Stephanie Cole, OBE is an English stage, television, and film actress, best known for playing characters a great deal older than her actual age.-Early life:...
in Cards on the Table and The Pale Horse and more recently by Julia McKenzie
Julia McKenzie
Julia McKenzie is an English actress, singer, and theatre director. She is best-known for her performance in Fresh Fields, but to current television audiences, she is best known for her role as Miss Marple in Agatha Christie's Marple...
in Dead Man's Folly and Elephants Can Remember.
External links
- Ariadne Oliver at the official Agatha Christie website
- Biography of Ariadne Oliver
- Ariadne Oliver at Hercule Poirot Central