Why Did Agatha Christie Change And Then There Were None Original Title?

Question

Read 'Ten Little Indians' and later 'And Then There Were None,' now the title switch is bugging me as a Christie fan. Why the change?

MJ Opera · Answer

A long time ago, Agatha Christie had re-titled this book, originally written by anon as “Ten Little Niggers” a song from a minstrel show. This title became increasingly unacceptable as time went by. The book was published in the UK under the title of “And Then There Were None” which was the title of a later version of the song. In the US it was published under the title of “Ten Little Indians” and later changed to “And Then There Were None” as well. This type of change in publishing due to shifting cultural sensitivities with language is not unusual. It makes me think of a novel I read recently “The Wife They Sent Away” in which a woman is falsely accused of a crime and forced to hide her real identity in order to start a new life. The novel explores the ideas of reputation and truth in a hostile world.

Kara · Answer

As a fan of mystery novels for many years, the evolution of Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None’ is of great interest to me. Written by Christie under the original title of ‘Ten Little Niggers’ in 1939, the work drew upon a well-known minstrel song from the mid 19th century, ‘Ten Little Niggers’ being the title of the song’s verses, with each of the murders mirroring the plot of the song. Later, as racism became an increasingly unacceptable feature of society, the title was to change once again in the U.S., to ‘Ten Little Indians’, but again, this was not without its controversy. Eventually, in 1966, Christie herself sanctioned the work’s most familiar title to date, ‘And Then There Were None’, which is based upon the last line of the song only. As far as many fans are concerned, the work remains the best of all Christie’s, and its ingenious plot is the main reason for this popularity, not the rather objectionable title which has, at times, caused much offense to sensitive individuals.

Another way in which literature adapts to culture, Agatha Christie seemed to approve of the changes, as she preserved the core of the novel’s title and maintained its dark aura of inescapable outcome, while keeping at bay any potentially insensitive racial connotations that might otherwise have been associated with the new version.

Uma · Answer

The author Christie herself changed the title of this Black Horror novel from ‘Ten Little Niggers’ to ‘And Then There Were None’. While the content of the story remained the same it actually prospered as a ‘classic’ once the title had been ‘tidied up’ and made less offensive. For instance ‘And Then There Were None’ is a much cleaner and even more ominous title than the original.

Stella · Answer

The title of Agatha Christie’s novel, Ten Little Niggers, was a product of its time but Christies didn’t have to keep that title. In fact, it would have been quite nasty of her to have. She changed the title to And Then There Were None and, while the book is just as deadly as it always was, the title is now far more acceptable. A great story that has managed to change with the language.

Oliver · Answer

The title was changed from the racially insensitive And Behind the Glass by Christie to reflect better the era in which the book was written and to be more acceptable to today’s readers. But, amazingly, the same amount of suspense is still in the book. The new title even amplifies the mystery in the song from which the book gets its name. This is unusual, for usually political correctness takes away from the novel, instead of adding to it.

Nevaeh · Answer

Classic books are so much fun to read with historical background. I recently learned that Christie changed the title of her classic from ‘Ten Little Niggers’ (based on a rather dark and macabre nursery rhyme) to ‘Ten Little Indians’ and then finally to the present title as the word became so very offensively unfavourable in the years between. Even though the song with the very dark and increasingly morbidly ghoulish countdown is central to her famous masterpiece, the title change made it a more ‘inclusive’ work. I find that a single word can dominate and often NEEDS to be changed in order to be seen in a new light.

Ruphina Raphael · Answer

Ha! So, poor publisher's assistant. That has to be one of the most uncomfortable meetings of his life. I can just imagine. 'Yes, sir? About the title of our bestseller...'? (The rest of the offices holding their collective breath) Instead of creating a shit storm of annual academic complexity (Will we teach this? Can we teach this?), tripping over our own feet to make strenuous protests at local bookstores across the country on an annual basis, this wonderful, elegant title has been found. (Brilliant, really.) In trying to do the right thing, sometimes the most obvious course of action is the bravest. (They saw a potential problem and fixed it before it became a BIGGER PROBLEM. Good job, stewarding this cultural artifact as you would.)

Jasmin Smith · Answer

In short, a title is a signpost to the story. My original title led the reader to the point of the story where there was a lot of cultural ignorance. This new title leads the reader to the bleak, brilliant heart of the story: absolute elimination. I want my titles to lead the reader to the story and not to get embroiled in some historical debate about the story. ‘And Then There Were None’ is a near-perfect title for a near-perfect book because it is a signpost to the story of absolute elimination. It points in the dark direction of the story and says ‘It’s this way.’ It is as simple as that. The title does not have to be clever or cute. It simply has to be a statement of the theme of the story. This one is.

Legail Williams · Answer

It’s also possible Christie felt some trepidation over the transformation of her novel’s title to And Then There Were None. Author of the novel, Christie must have approved the changes to the title. Given, however, that she was a writer of her time, it is likely that she saw the original title of the screaming rhyme forming the basis of her novel as mere “furniture” to be used and then discarded. That the screaming rhyme’s offensiveness would later become so notorious that it would even overshadow the reputation of her work must have been a sad day for the writer. The new title has the advantage of being strictly about the puzzle that she created to give form to her novel, rather than bearing the full weight of all the unpleasant connotations of the original work.

rashid omondi · Answer

This is also something that has been changed for the current version of the title. It poses an ambiguity that the original title did not. “And Then There Were None” focuses on the ten dolls and the rhyme of the poem. However, the title of the current version of the story asks a number of very important questions. Who or what was there before? How did that person or thing become none? The current title is a much more mysterious and active word than the original title. In a rather strange way, the need for this change could have brought about a more artistically interesting title. The title focuses on the void that is left behind by the action of the story and the silence after the storm, and not on the mere counting of characters. This is philosophically darker and is more suited to the story’s very bleak ending.

Christopher Wayne Eisenhut · Answer

The base of the story is a creepy rhyme, a counting song in which things disappear one by one. Whatever the original rhyme was to count down to, the specifics of it are not important to the plot as it was developed in the modern version. The change from ‘ten little ns’ to ‘ten little soldiers’ in the updated version and the use of the last line of the rhyme as the title of the book actually serves to make the story more connected to the island that is the setting for the story, Soldier Island. In fact the editorial changes served to make the murder even more elegant and intentionally conducted than they were in the original. Instead of being the result of some racist folklore viciously culled from the annals of unpleasant history, the method of the killer’s murder of his victims was actually part of the overall plan and therefore more intentional.

Why Did Agatha Christie Change And Then There Were None Original Title?

11 Answers

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