Question

"Ausable did not fit any description of a secret agent Fowler had ever read.” What do secret agents in books and films look like, in your opinion? Discuss in groups or in class some stories or movies featuring spies, detectives and secret agents, and compare their appearance with that of Ausable in this story. (You may mention characters from fiction in languages other than English. In English fiction you may have come across Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, or Miss Marple. Have you watched any movies featuring James Bond?)

Answer 1

Secret agents in fiction are projected like ideal men, ‘Tall dark and handsome’. They are usually well built and have beautiful women to accompany them. They would always smoke pipe or cigar and do death defying stunts. James Bond is a very famous character by Ian Fleming. Movies based on James Bond show hi-tech gizmos which assist the detective in countering villains. But there are some exceptions as well. There is a character named Feluda which was created by Satyajit Ray, the famous Bangla Filmmaker. Feluda despite being a strongly built man adept in martial arts, relies mostly upon his superb analytical ability and observation skill, mostly referred to as the Magajastra or brain-weapon to solve cases instead of using physical strength or weapons.