The Lady of Shalott and the Crystal Spider

My Agatha Christie Sherry Book Club just finished our last session discussing “The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side,” whose title is borrowed from Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott” poem. And for some odd reason, I found myself abstractly thinking about the crystal spider scene from the film “Krull” (1983). Odd indeed. And now I conjure this post in attempts to sort out this mystery of queer inspiration. 

When Christie first began writing her Miss Marple series, (1930) her brilliant down-to-earth character hardly graced the pages until often midway through the novel. As the titles progress, we start to see Jane Marple earlier and more often. By the time we get to “4:50 From Paddington,” (1957) and “The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side,” (1962) she is all over the stories, clearly occupying a much more prominent space than just showing up with the clever answers. In nearly all of the stories, I think it is fair to say there is typically a character who doubts her abilities or writes her off as one of many old biddies with heads full of nonsense. There is a key trope about old ladies losing their ability to think properly and perhaps go on and on about provincial tangents. The first victim of the latter book, Heather, in many ways, is on her way to such a characterization before she gets killed. She is described as the kindly type who will perhaps talk your ear off while not properly acknowledging her unimpressed audience because it simply gives her too much joy to keep going. Or more specifically, as someone who likes to make a gift of seed cake to her neighbors while never bothering to discover who may or may not like seed cake and simply not taking no for an answer. Basically pushy, yet very nice. 

All in all, I theorize here that perhaps Christie was simply acknowledging the possibility that her readers might be more interested in page time dedicated to the actual mystery than more interaction with the elder ladies of interest. But after several novels, perhaps she realized her audience was truly invested in hearing more about Miss Jane Marple.

In these last two aforementioned books, there is a stronger emphasis on Marple acknowledging her own aging. She makes mention of losing her former keen eyesight, having issues with gardening, bending down and such as well as frequently dropping stitches in her knitting. Her often mentioned nephew has even enlisted the services of a condescending (yet kind) live-in woman to take care of her. And yet her wily mind continues to triumph almost as proof that her brain and sharply webbed thinking is just as keen as ever.

In stark contrast to the savvy yet humble Marple, the aging starlet Marina Gregg is at the center of the plot. She is a five times wedded Hollywood leading lady who is amidst a comeback following a breakdown of sorts, when it seems she is the target of murder. Her instability in dealing with stress and particular personal interactions adds to the notion that she has lost her mojo. The surprise arrival of a much younger rival actress further adds to her perceived struggles and also triggers for me that one scene with the Widow of the Web in “Krull.”

Lyssa Widow of the Web : These are the sands of my life. Accept them and the spider will have no power to harm you. But your own life runs out with the sand.

Ynyr : But what about your life?

Lyssa Widow of the Web : I give it to the girl who bears my name.

The trick here is that ancient Lyssa gives away her precious sands of time thereby sacrificing herself to the crystal spider and damning her long absent old lover who abandoned her big-time in the past. All this to help the dashing boyish hero out of his predicament with the megalomaniac beast in the moving castle who holds the young fire princess captive. Naturally, the spider woman magically gets to be young and beautiful again before her imminent death since she was clearly only waiting around by her lonesome all those years for her lover to return. I mean what else is there to do? Seems like a very Arthurian move if you ask me and well…Tennyson.

“She knows not what the curse may be;

Therefore she weaveth steadily,

Therefore no other care hath she,

    The Lady of Shalott.”

Christie alludes in “The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side” to a particular set of lines out of Tennyson’s same poem. And yet I can’t help but find so many more lines from it that keep pulling me back to Krull. It may be about the work of weaving and the cracking crystal that is the key here. Or perhaps it’s the fallen female surrounded by a sea of noble men, whether she be a cursed virgin enchanted by Lancelot, a sorceress-spider-lady with a dream of vengeance, a fire princess who apparently has no ability to wield her own power without her prince, or a highly unstable multiple divorcee balancing a flair for the dramatic whilst struggling with inner demons. In the mystery, Marina Gregg is seen to have suddenly frozen atop a stairwell with a look of shock and subtle doom that is described as akin to the last few lines of the following passage:

“He flash’d into the crystal mirror,

‘Tirra lirra, tirra lirra:’

    Sang Sir Lancelot.

She left the web, she left the loom

She made three paces thro’ the room

She saw the water-flower bloom,

She saw the helmet and the plume,

    She look’d down to Camelot.

Out flew the web and floated wide;

The mirror crack’d from side to side;

‘The curse is come upon me,’ cried

    The Lady of Shalott.”

And of course the answer to all lies in that very look. There are a few movie adaptations and I have to say that so far I think Lindsay Duncan does that pivotal look the best. But I can’t help imagine Francesca Annis, the actress who played the Widow of the Web and also Lady Jessica in Dune (1984) would also have killed it. I have always been mesmerized by her. But of course, I do love my sci-fi.

Miss Jane Marple, I’m so glad that Christie decided you needed more page time and dialogue. I’m so glad we got to hear your thoughts on more than just murder but also on the passage of time and the changing of the world. Few aging women seem to fare as well as thee on the page or on the screen.

And now on to a completely different spider!