The secret formula to Agatha Christie's murder mysteries - Jamie Bernthal

譯者: Camila Lin 審譯者: Helen Chang

Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time.

阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 是史上最暢銷的小說家。

But in 1916, she wasn’t even the most promising writer in her family.

但在 1916 年時， 她甚至不是她們家最有前途的作家。

Her older sister Madge had already written several short stories,

那時，阿嘉莎的姐姐瑪姬 已完成幾個短篇故事，

while Agatha hadn’t published any.

但她卻仍未出版任何作品。

So when Agatha shared her desire to write a mystery novel,

因此，當她告訴姐姐， 自己想寫一本懸疑小說時，

Madge scoffed.

瑪姬卻嘲笑她的夢想。

She bet that Agatha wouldn’t be able to create a compelling mystery—

瑪姬和妹妹打賭， 她無法寫出一個引人入勝、

and certainly not something she couldn't solve.

自己無法解開謎團的懸疑故事。

Today, the novel that came of that bet

然而，從那次打賭中誕生的小說，

stands alongside almost 100 other mysteries written by Christie,

卻成了今日阿嘉莎創作出的 100 多篇懸疑小說之一。

each one a cleverly constructed puzzle box

每一個故事，都是精心設計的謎箱，

of clues, misdirection, and human drama.

由線索、誤導與人性群像劇組合而成。

So let's investigate how she crafted these perfect crimes.

現在就讓我們抽絲剝繭， 找出她構思出完美犯罪的方法吧！

Christie designed her stories in many ways,

克莉絲蒂在設計故事時， 會考慮許多方面。

but one of the most important decisions was the setting.

但最重要的一個面向，便是時空背景。

From a remote island to a snow-stalled train car,

從一座偏遠的小島， 到一台受困在雪中的火車，

she favored locations isolated from society.

阿嘉莎喜歡把故事設定在 與世隔絕的地方。

By restricting the scope of her stories,

透過限縮故事的篇幅，

Christie limited possible suspects and built tension

她就能減少嫌犯的人數，

且藉由讓角色們無法離開原地， 來提高戲劇張力。

by forcing characters to stay put—

even with a killer among them.

就算犯人就在他們之中也一樣。

Sometimes she further heightened the drama

有時候，為了讓故事的戲劇性更強，

by making the characters strangers,

她會設定角色們互不相識，

unsure who they can trust.

讓他們無法確定誰是能信任的人。

But while her settings are eerie and extraordinary,

然而，雖然她能打造出 陰森又特別的故事背景，

her characters are just the opposite.

她的角色們卻完全相反，枯燥無比。

One of the biggest criticisms of Christie’s novels

她的小說最為人詬病之處，

is that they’re full of two-dimensional people.

就是她的人物多半形象扁平。

But Christie avoided complex characters for a reason.

不過，克莉絲蒂之所以避免 創造圓形人物，是出於某些考量。

By reducing people to a handful of simple traits,

藉著只賦予角色一些簡單的特徵，

she provided readers with predictable suspects.

讀者們便能預測嫌犯的真身了。

Well, usually predictable.

好吧，有時候也蠻難預測沒錯。

Christie also used the audience's expectations against them.

她也會利用讀者 對兇手的想像來誤導他們。

However, this typecasting sometimes relied on

不過，這種犯人的固定形象，

有時會因取材自當時讀者心中的想像， 最後創造出不利特定族群的刻板印象。

what contemporary readers know to be harmful stereotypes.

She frequently caricatured particular occupations and ethnic groups

她常常以誇張的描述， 來書寫某些職業和種族，

for comic effect,

以製造滑稽的效果，

reinforcing the prejudices of her time.

卻也加深了當時人們的偏見。

This is certainly not an element of Christie’s work worth emulating,

當然，這一點並不值得我們效法，

and fortunately, many modern mystery writers

幸運的是，很多現代的懸疑小說家，

have found less problematic ways to use this technique.

已經能以較無爭議的方法， 運用塑造人物固定形象的技巧。

Even when she got it wrong,

雖然她描繪人物的方法並不適當，

Christie worked to make her characters feel authentic.

但她也花了一番工夫， 讓角色們看起來更貼近現實。

She closely observed the people around her,

她會仔細觀察身邊的人，

and constantly scribbled down details from overheard conversations.

也常詳細記錄偶然聽見的對話。

She would then rearrange these details to piece her mysteries together,

接著，她會重新編排這些對話細節， 拼湊出她的懸疑故事，

often switching who the murderer was as she worked.

所以她筆下的犯人， 會隨著書寫進度不停變換。

This approach kept information murky and disoriented even the sharpest readers.

這種寫作方法讓線索變得模糊不清， 最敏銳的讀者也會被誤導。

However, there’s an important balance to strike

然而，找出融合 精巧詭計與清楚情節的平衡，

between being clever and being confusing.

是個非常重要的課題。

Nobody wants to read a predictable mystery,

沒有人想讀老套好猜的懸疑小說，

but if things get too convoluted you can lose your reader altogether.

但如果情節太過曲折， 又有可能失去讀者。

Christie handled this in part by keeping her language simple and accessible.

克莉絲蒂使用簡單易讀的 語言來達到這個平衡。

She used short sentences and clear, snappy dialogue

她會用短句和清楚易懂的對話，

to help readers follow information.

來幫助讀者掌握資訊。

This kind of clarity is essential,

讓作品讀起來很清晰明瞭是必要的，

because the best mysteries string their audience along

因為最棒的懸疑小說，

就是用精心設計的 一連串線索來引導讀者。

with a carefully laid trail of clues.

With Christie, a good clue is one the reader will remember,

對她來說，好線索的定義， 就是讀者能記住，

but usually, fail to completely understand.

卻時常無法完全理解背後真義的線索。

For example, when a character cries that “Everything tastes foul today,”

例如，如果某個角色叫著： 「今天的東西都難吃死了！」

just minutes before he dies,

而幾分鐘後，他便突然身亡，

the reader races to determine who poisoned his beverage.

讀者們就會競相猜測， 到底是誰在他的飲料中下了毒。

But they’re likely failing to truly consider this clue.

但他們卻可能誤解了這條線索的真意：

If everything tasted foul that day,

如果當天的食物都很難吃，

then he’d been poisoned long before that drink.

那就代表，他早在喝飲料 之前就被下毒了。

Christie also used clues to intentionally mislead her audience.

克莉絲蒂也會故意用線索誤導讀者。

For example, readers might recognize a clue associated with one suspect,

例如，讀者們可能會認出 某條指向某個嫌犯的線索，

only to learn that it was being used to frame them.

卻發現這條線索只是用來誤導自己。

Other times, she built misdirection directly into the story’s structure—

有些時候，她甚至會直接 將誤導編入故事架構當中。

like when a narrator reporting the murder is revealed to be the killer.

例如，回顧謀殺案的敘述者正是兇手。

Outside crime and clues,

除了罪行和線索以外，

there’s one more ingredient in Christie’s formula:

克莉絲蒂的寫作公式中， 還有另一個要素：

the detective.

偵探。

Christie created many sleuths,

克莉絲蒂創造出許多偵探角色，

but her most enduring are Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple.

但最經典的，便是白羅與瑪波小姐。

Neither this petit Belgian refugee nor this elderly amateur detective

然而，不管是矮小的比利時難民白羅， 還是年長的業餘偵探瑪波小姐，

are traditional heroes.

都不是典型的英雄式主角。

But their outsider status is exactly what helps them slip past security

不過，正因為他們是局外人， 才能避開安全措施，

and make suspects let their guard down.

並讓嫌犯們卸下防備。

As you might have guessed, Agatha won her sister’s bet.

你大概已經猜到， 最後阿嘉莎贏得了和她姐姐的賭注。

Her eccentric detectives, clever clues, and simplified suspects

她創造的古怪偵探、精巧的線索， 與簡單勾勒的嫌犯形象，

form a blueprint that has stumped countless readers.

編織成難倒無數讀者的故事。

And now that you've uncovered her strategies,

現在，你已經揭開她寫作策略的秘密，

the only mystery left is what stories you can tell with these secrets.

最後的謎題，就是你可以用 這些秘密，說出怎樣的故事。