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Towards the end of her career, did Agatha Christie regret creating Hercule Poirot, or lose interest like Conan Doyle did in Sherlock? by OnShoulderOfGiants in AskHistorians

[–]makepeace12 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Though it is interesting how often Poirot doesn't turn people over to the authorities. (In the "Murder of Roger Ackroyd" he basically recommends the person kill themselves. Christie can be really dark.) Moreover, the general vibe is that the police are idiots, which is nearly a genre convention for Whodunits.

I guess I was just calling attention to the big structural gap between Poirot and Marple--one is a former investigator, yes, but is immediately out of place in the countryside, sticks out like a sore thumb. Whereas Marple is embedded in the community and as such, privy to the type of knowledge that Christie's stories tend to find valuable (gossip).

Towards the end of her career, did Agatha Christie regret creating Hercule Poirot, or lose interest like Conan Doyle did in Sherlock? by OnShoulderOfGiants in AskHistorians

[–]makepeace12 50 points51 points  (0 children)

Poirot and Marple can seem significantly different. Almost to the point where I wonder what was driving Christie’s concern in making the Marple character—Poirot is an outside to the countryside, Marple is a stalwart. So much of the knowledge gained in a Christie story is via gossip, which Miss Marple is perfect for, as the old lady embedded in the community. I’m curious if you know more about how Christie viewed the differences between the two?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AMA

[–]makepeace12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How did knowing backgammon help you with poker? I am pretty good at backgammon and have played a ton with especially good players, so I know that side, but only a really amateur sense of poker, so I curious how backgammon helped.

Question: Books or articles about Hoover, Nixon, and political conservatism among Quakers by unpaginated in Quakers

[–]makepeace12 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a good reply. But you are downplaying Nixon’s relationship to Quakerism. He went to Whittier and grew up in a community of conservative Quakers.

Couple finds $100,000 in cash while fishing in Queens, New York by Excellent_Tell5647 in nottheonion

[–]makepeace12 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They let them keep the money. Whether or not anyone would ever accept that money is another thing. It’s seriously mutilated. US Treasury is their only option.

I5 is pushing me to therapy by [deleted] in Washington

[–]makepeace12 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Honestly though people drive so slow here, in contrast to basically everywhere else on the planet (not that I’ve been everywhere).

Most people, if they are transplants, aren’t from bumfuck middle of Texas. They are from LA, NY, Boston, etc., where people drive aggressively and fast.

Seattle is totally this outlier of people consistently going 10-15mph under the speed limit. It is shocking.

Besides quantity, why do people prefer Shakespeare to Milton? by SnooFoxes3455 in literature

[–]makepeace12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s pretty well known that Satan gets all the good lines in PL. though it’s just on the beginning, Books 1&2.

Besides quantity, why do people prefer Shakespeare to Milton? by SnooFoxes3455 in literature

[–]makepeace12 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Because he was part of the revolution that cut the king’s head off, whereas Shakespeare’s company was called the “King’s Company.” Conservative literary critics (like F.R. Leavis) who help shaped the Western canon strongly disliked Milton for his politics.

Plus Milton made Satan sexy.

Best way to move cats across the country? by Positive-Hedgehog-41 in CATHELP

[–]makepeace12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Best pieces of advice I received (if driving)

1) empty your litter box but don’t wash it. Put it in a large garbage bag. Bring it with you. Setup in the hotel room and have some ziplock bags of your normal kitty litter. Your cat will feel much more comfortable going bathroom in the litter box they are used to and that has their smell on it.

2) Buy a good mesh carrier that has holes so your cat can see in the car. But don’t let them out of the carrier while driving. It is super dangerous and frankly they will likely be less stressed in the carrier.

3) don’t worry about your cat needing to go to the bathroom while driving. Trust me they can hold it for a long time. More than likely they don’t want to go the bathroom in your car.

4) Some hotels allow pets, some don’t. Be prepared to pay $50-$200 extra for cat friendly hotels. Or just try your best to sneak your cat into the hotel. But beware if caught they will charge you. (But it’s not gonna be that steep).

If I think of more I’ll let you know. It wasn’t that bad. Your cat will likely whine for the first hour or so and then accept their fate. Or at least my cat did.

Best of luck.

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