Abstract: The author analyzes literary allusions in detective novels by Agatha Christie. For the first time, allusions to the works of W. Shakespeare, C. Dickens, P. G. Wodehouse, G. K. Chesterton are considered in detail. Many allusions are established for the first time. As a material for writing this article, a large number of novels were used, among which there are also rarely considered texts of the English writer. The meaning of allusions to "Twelfth Night" in the novel "The Sad Cypress" is revealed in detail, to the works of Wodehouse – in the novel "Why not Evans?" In the article, in the context of the studied problem, the features of escapism of the detective genre are considered. Based on the consideration of examples from a number of novels by Agatha Christie, conclusions are drawn about the significance of literary allusions in her novels in general and in specific works in particular. Allusions expand the semantic field of novels, allow Agatha Christie to go beyond the detective story, limited by the principles of formulaic literature, to consider psychological problems, to portray ambiguous characters in the spirit of classical English literature. At the same time, with the help of a significant number of allusions emphasized by the author, the literary nature of what is happening in detective novels is brought to the fore, which largely corresponds to the escapist nature of this genre.

Keywords: humor, psychologism, literary character, modernism, novel, formulary literature, escapism, allusion, quotation, detective story