Quote:
Originally Posted by rogue_librarian
... What she almost certainly was not, however, was racist ...
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Is racial and ethnic stereotyping a form racism? Certainly,
Agatha Christie presented different nationalities and races in a stereotypical manner. Hardly surprising, as it was common at the time, and apparently wasn't done in a malevolant way. It would be surprising if she wasn't at least mildly racist, given that racism wasn't exactly uncommon in British society, during the
decline of the British Empire, though attitudes began to change when Jewish refugees arrived during WWII, immigrants from the ex-Colonies arrived after WWII, plus migrants from elsewhere since then, transforming the UK into its present multicultural society.
What I find remarkable about Mark Twain is that he was an adamant supporter of abolition and emancipation, plus an anti-imperialist, and used his skills as a writer to tackle so sensitive an issue as racism, in such a sophisticated manner. This very interesting thread has really inspired me to re-read
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, plus read
A Tramp Abroad for the first time.