Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Agatha Christie is remembered as one of the most important and prolific writers of mystery novels. What other mystery authors or novels have you encountered? What are some tropes and/or literary devices you associate with the mystery genre?

Teaching Suggestion: Make sure to discuss Agatha Christie’s life and times: Agatha Christie (1890-1976) lived during a tumultuous historical period (she was alive during both World Wars) but also during a surge in popularity of mystery and detective fiction. Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of the Sherlock Holmes novels, was an earlier contemporary of Christie’s; other famous novelists within the genre include Raymond Chandler, Sue Grafton, and Elizabeth Daly. Ask the class about the typical structure of a mystery novel or “whodunit” (e.g., the crime, the investigation, red herrings, “twist” endings, etc.).

• This article from MasterClass provides a general overview of mystery fiction.
• This page from the Agatha Christie website contains a biography of the author and offers helpful resources.

2. As the title of the novel suggests, Death on the Nile is primarily set in Egypt.