NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Dorothy L. Sayers

Dorothy Leigh Sayers (Oxford, 13 June 1893 – Witham, 17 December 1957) was a renowned British author, translator, student of classical and modern languages, and Christian humanist. She is best known for her mysteries, a series of novels and short stories set between World War I and World War II that feature English aristocrat and amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey. However, Sayers herself considered her translation of Dante's Divina Commedia to be her best work. She is also known for her plays and essays. This article is about the city of Oxford in England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... , Witham (pronounced Wittam; IPA, /ËˆwÉªtÃ¦m/) is a town in the county of Essex, in the south east of England. ... For other meanings of Essex, see Essex (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article is about work. ... A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ... A playwright, also known as a dramatist, is a person who writes dramatic literature or drama. ... An essayist is an author who writes compositions which can be about any particular subject. ... A copywriter is a person who writes text, or copy, for clients. ... The poor poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. ... A literary genre is one of the divisions of literature into genres according to particular criteria such as literary technique, tone, or content. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with mystery_fiction. ... ... The Golden Age of Detective Fiction was an era of detective fiction in the 1920s and 30s (also see Golden Age). ... This article is about the city of Oxford in England. ... is the 164th day of the year (165th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... , Witham (pronounced Wittam; IPA, /ËˆwÉªtÃ¦m/) is a town in the county of Essex, in the south east of England. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Author (disambiguation). ... Look up Translator in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Christian humanism is the belief that human freedom and individualism are compatible with the practice of Christianity or intrinsic in its doctrine. ... A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ... This article is in need of attention. ... â€œThe Great War â€ redirects here. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Aristocrat redirects here. ... Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes Detective fiction is a branch of crime fiction that centers upon the investigation of a crime, usually murder, by a detective, either professional or amateur. ... Early paperback edition cover of Murder Must Advertise Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey is a fictional character in a series of detective novels and short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers, in which he solves mysteries â€” usually murder mysteries. ... Look up translate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Dante in a fresco series of famous men by Andrea del Castagno, ca. ... For other uses see The Divine Comedy (disambiguation), Dantes Inferno (disambiguation), and The Inferno (disambiguation) Dante shown holding a copy of The Divine Comedy, next to the entrance to Hell, the seven terraces of Mount Purgatory and the city of Florence, with the spheres of Heaven above, in Michelino... // Dorothy L. Sayers began writing plays for public performance in 1935 with Busmanâ€™s Honeymoon, a dramatic incarnation of the characters from her Lord Peter Wimsey books. ...

Biography

Childhood, youth and education

Sayers, that was an only child, was born at the Head Master's House, Christchurch Cathedral, Oxford, on 13th June 1893, where her father, the Rev. Henry Sayers, M.A., was chaplain of Christ Church, Oxford and headmaster of the Choir School (when she was six he started teaching her Latin). In 1912, she won a scholarship to Somerville College, Oxford, studying modern languages and medieval literature. She finished with first-class honours in 1916. Although women could not be granted degrees at that time, Sayers was among the first to receive a degree when the situation changed a few years later, and in 1920 she earned an M.A. Her personal experience of Oxford academic life is evident in her novel Gaudy Night. and of the Christ Church College name Christ Church Latin name Ã†des Christi Named after Jesus Christ Established 1546 Sister college Trinity College, Cambridge Dean The Very Revd Christopher Andrew Lewis JCR president Laura Ellis Undergraduates 426 GCR president Tim Benjamin Graduates 154 Location of Christ Church within central Oxford... For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... Full name Somerville College Motto Donec rursus impleat orbem Named after Mary Somerville Previous Names Somerville Hall Established 1879 Sister College Girton College Principal Dame Fiona Caldicott JCR President Simon Bruegger MCR President Allen Middlebro Location Woodstock Road, Oxford Undergraduates 396 Graduates 88 Homepage Boat Club Somerville College is one... Gaudy Night is a 1935 Lord Peter Wimsey detective story by Dorothy L. Sayers. ...

Dorothy's father was from a line from Littlehampton, Tipperary, and his mother (Helen Mary Leigh - hence the 'L' in Dorothy's full name) was born at The Chestnuts, Millbrook, Southamptomshire, to Frederick Leigh, a Solicitor, whose family roots were in the Isle of Wight. Helen's sister Amy, married Henry Richard Shrimpton, and is mentioned below.

Great Britain in the 1920s was in a time of social change and upheaval. The massive mobilization of able-bodied men in World War I had sent many women into the paid workforce. While the men returning from war expected to return to their old positions, the women who enjoyed self-sufficiency were not ready to leave. In addition, many women had to be self-supporting due to family left disabled or dead by the war. Legally, some women were first able to vote in 1918, although full suffrage was not granted until the Representation of the People Act of 1928. â€œThe Great War â€ redirects here. ... The Representation of the People Act 1918 widened suffrage by abolishing practically all property qualifications for men and by enfranchising women over 30 who met minimum property qualifications. ... The Representation of the People Act 1928 is an act of parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

Motherhood

At age 29, Sayers fell in love with novelist John Cournos, the first intense romance of her life. He wanted her to ignore social mores and live with him without marriage. She wanted to marry and have children. After a year of agony between 1921 and 1922, she learned that Cournos had claimed to be against marriage only to test her devotion, and she broke off with him. John Cournos (1881 - 1966) was an American writer from a Russian-Jewish background; his family emigrated when he was aged 10. ...

Her heart broken, Sayers rebounded by becoming involved with Bill White, an unemployed motor car salesman. After a brief, intense, and mainly sexual relationship, Sayers discovered that, in spite of contraception, she was pregnant. White reacted badly, storming out "in rage & misery" when Sayers admitted her pregnancy.

Fearing how her pregnancy might affect her parents, then in their 70s, Sayers opted to hide from friends and family. She continued to work until the beginning of her last trimester, at which point she pleaded exhaustion and took an extended leave. She went alone to a "mothers' hospital" under an assumed name, and the child, John Anthony, was born January 3, 1924, at Tuckton Lodge, Iford Lane, Southbourne, Southamptonshire. She remained with John for three weeks, nursing and caring for him. Ivy continued to raise 'John' to adulthood at her house "The Sidelings", Wooton Barton, Oxfordshire, but he became known by his second forename - abandoning the use of 'John' except for legal puposes - but preferred to be known as 'Tony' to friends and family. He assumed the surname of 'Fleming' after his mother married, although nothing formal was ever attempted to register that change. Tony regarded Ivy as his mother for all practical purposes, and when she died on 29th March 1951 at Horton General Hospital, Banbury, he undertook the burial arrangements. Southbourne could be Southbourne, Dorset Southbourne, West Sussex Category: ... Hampshire is a county on the south coast of England. ...

Sayers was unable to return to her life or work with a child. Her aunt and cousin, Amy and Ivy Amy Shrimpton, were supporting themselves by fostering children. Sayers' mother had been to visit the Shrimptons and wrote a glowing account to Dorothy of the good job they did with their charges. Sayers wrote to Ivy, relating a sad story about "a friend" and inquiring about boarding fees and whether Ivy had room for an additional baby. After Ivy agreed to take the child, Sayers sent her another letter that began "Strictly Confidential: Particulars about Baby" which revealed the child's parentage and swore her to silence. Neither Sayers' parents nor Aunt Amy were to know.

In 1924-1925, Sayers wrote 11 letters to John Cournos about their unhappy relationship, her relationship with White, and her son. The letters are now housed at Harvard University. Both Sayers and Cournos would eventually fictionalize their experience: Sayers in Strong Poison, published in 1930, and Cournos in The Devil is an English Gentleman, published in 1932. Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and a member of the Ivy League. ... Strong Poison is a 1931 novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, her fifth featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. ...

Marriage

Two years later, by which time she had published her first two detective novels, Sayers married Captain Oswald Atherton "Mac" Fleming, a Scottish journalist whose professional name was "Atherton Fleming." They married on 8th April, 1926 at the Register Office in Holborn. Mac was divorced with two children, which in those days meant they could not have a church wedding. Despite this disappointment, her parents welcomed Mac into the fold. They lived in Dorothy's appartment at 24 Great James Street, St. Pancras, that she continued to hold for the rest of her life. photo of dorothy L. Sayers that she gave to john cournos The copyright status of this vintage image is undetermined; it may still be copyrighted. ... photo of dorothy L. Sayers that she gave to john cournos The copyright status of this vintage image is undetermined; it may still be copyrighted. ...

The marriage began very happily, with a strong partnership at home. Both were working a great deal - Mac as an author and journalist, Dorothy as an advertising copywriter and author. Over time, Mac's health worsened (largely due to his World War I service), and he became unable to work. As a result, his income dwindled while Sayers's fame continued to grow, and he began to feel eclipsed.

Although he never lived with them, Tony was told "Cousin Dorothy" and Fleming had adopted him when he was ten. (As the legal parent, Dorothy had no need to adopt him. Fleming had agreed to adopt her son when they married, but it was never officially done.) Sayers continued to provide for his upbringing, although she never publicly acknowledged him as her biological son.

Sayers was a good friend of C. S. Lewis and several of the other Inklings. On some occasions, Sayers joined Lewis at meetings of the Socratic Club. Lewis said he read The Man Born to be King every Easter, but he claimed to be unable to appreciate detective stories. J. R. R. Tolkien, however, read some of the Wimsey novels but scorned the later ones, such as Gaudy Night. Clive Staples Jack Lewis (29 November 1898 â€“ 22 November 1963), commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis, was an Irish author and scholar. ... The Eagle and Child pub (commonly known as the Bird and Baby) in Oxford where the Inklings met on Thursday nights in 1939. ... The Man Born to be King is a radio drama based on the life of Jesus, produced and broadcast by the BBC during the Second World War. ... Tolkien redirects here. ... Gaudy Night is a 1935 Lord Peter Wimsey detective story by Dorothy L. Sayers. ...

Mac Fleming died 9th June,1950, at Sunnyside Cottage, and nearly a decade later, Dorothy died suddenly of a stroke 17th December 1957 at the same place. She had purchased numbers 20-24 Newland Street Witham (subsequently known as Sunnyside) in 1925 for her mother to live, following the death of her father, but she occupied it herself following the death of her mother on 27th July 1929 at The County Hospital, Colchester. Mac was buried in Ipswich, whilst Dorothy was buried at Golder's Green. Tony died 26th November 1984 at age 60, in St. Francis's Hospital, Miami Beach, Dade, Florida.

Dorothy's son did not fare well in his associations with women, and family life. He was known as the "Sayer's Curse" to his family. He was a philanderer. His first marriage was disolved, then he married Gabrielle Noreen "Selfridge", another illegitmate child, born of Lilian Ethel Davis that worked in the drapery department of a well known emporium. Whether Gabrielle was ever made aware of her parentage is not known, but whilst a few others in the family knew, most merely remarked as to the disimilarity in appearance between her and younger "sister". The birth was falsely registered as if one Alfred Ward Rorrison was the father of the child, and presumed husband of the mother, but he was still married to Emily Olive Quick at that time, and did not marry Lilian until 9th September 1936 - four years later - after the decree nisi had been granted. Lilian and Alfred - both impecunious - mysteriously acquired sufficient capital to set-up and run a Draper's Store in Greenford, Middlesex, from immediately before Gabrielle's birth until retirement to Jersey in 1965. On the death of Dorothy, the Royalties for her work were left to Tony, but when Gabrielle divorced him on 8th January 1973, the Royalties were passed to Gabrielle as a part of the settlement. Tony remarried an Hispanic, Fortuna Haydon on 8th January 1973. Tony and Gabrielle had two children that both died young (at different times, but both aged 26) of drug overdoses in suspicious circumstances. Daughter Jennifer Gabrielle Dorothy died 18th July 1988 in the prescence of her three-year-old illegitimate son Timothee (a British National) in a hotel bedroom in Grand Canaria. Gabrielle died by falling down a flight of stone steps on her property in Grimel, Lausanne, Schweiz, on 18th November 1995; her estate including the Royalties, were left in trust to Timothee, and a Swiss court granted custody to Francis Albert Pfersich (Tinothee's grandfather) because his father Christophe Sylvain Pfersich (of Austro-Swiss extraction) was alleged to be a drug adict - and Timothee was of course still a minor. Payment of Royalties ceased in 2007, fifty years after Dorothy's death.

Career

Poetry, teaching, and advertisements

Dorothy Sayers' first book, of poetry, was published in 1916 as Op. I by Blackwell Publishing in Oxford. Later Sayers worked for Blackwell's and then as a teacher in several locations including Normandy, France, just before World War I began. Image File history File links Guinness_Toucan-ad. ... Image File history File links Guinness_Toucan-ad. ... Blackwell Publishing was formed in 2001 from two Oxford-based academic publishing companies, Blackwell Science and Blackwell Publishers and is the worlds leading society publisher, partnering with 665 academic and professional societies. ...

Sayers' longest employment was from 1922-1931 as a copywriter at S. H. Benson's advertising agency in London. This was located on the Victoria Embankment overlooking the Thames; Benson's subsequently became Ogilvy & Mather. Sayers was quite successful as an advertiser. Her collaboration with artist John Gilroy resulted in "The Mustard Club" for Colman's Mustard and the Guinness "Zoo" advertisements, variations of which still appear today. One famous example was the Toucan, his bill arching under a glass of Guinness, with Sayers' jingle: A copywriter is a person who writes text, or copy, for clients. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide is an advertising agency that has a worldwide presence. ... John Gilroy was born in Whitley Bay on the 30th of May 1898. ... Colmans English Mustard jar Colmans is a UK manufacturer of mustard, based in Norwich, Norfolk. ... For other uses, see Toucan (disambiguation). ...

Sayers is also credited with coining the phrase "It pays to advertise." She used the advertising industry as the setting of Murder Must Advertise. Murder Must Advertise is a Lord Peter Wimsey mystery novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, published in 1933. ...

Detective fiction

Sayers began working out the plot of her first novel sometime in 1920 – 1921. The seeds of the plot for Whose Body? can be seen in a letter Sayers wrote on January 22, 1921: 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ...

Lord Peter Wimsey burst upon the world of detective fiction with an explosive "Oh, damn!" and continued to engage readers in ten novels and two sets of short stories; the final novel ended with a very different "Oh, damn!". Sayers once commented that Lord Peter was a mixture of Fred Astaire and Bertie Wooster, which is most evident in the first five novels. However, it is evident through Lord Peter's development as a round character that he existed in Sayers' mind as a living, breathing, fully human entity. Sayers introduced detective novelist Harriet Vane in Strong Poison. Sayers remarked more than once that she had developed the "husky voiced, dark-eyed" Harriet to put an end to Lord Peter via matrimony. But in the course of writing Gaudy Night, Sayers imbued Lord Peter and Harriet with so much life that she was never able to, as she put it, "see Lord Peter exit the stage." Fred Astaire (May 10, 1899 â€“ June 22, 1987), born Frederick Austerlitz in Omaha, Nebraska,[1] was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. ... Bertie Wooster portrayed by Hugh Laurie in ITVs Jeeves and Wooster series Bertram Wilberforce Bertie Wooster is the wealthy, good-natured co-protagonist and narrator of P. G. Wodehouses Jeeves stories. ... Harriet Deborah Vane, Lady Peter Wimsey, is a fictional character in the writings of Dorothy L. Sayers. ... Strong Poison is a 1931 novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, her fifth featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. ... Gaudy Night is a 1935 Lord Peter Wimsey detective story by Dorothy L. Sayers. ...

Sayers did not content herself with writing pure detective stories; she explored the toll on World War I veterans in The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club and advocated for women's education (a then-controversial subject) in Gaudy Night. The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club is a 1928 novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, her fourth featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. ... Gaudy Night is a 1935 Lord Peter Wimsey detective story by Dorothy L. Sayers. ...

Sayers also wrote a number of short stories about Montague Egg, a wine salesman who solves mysteries. Montague Egg is a fictional amateur detective, who appears in eleven short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers. ...

Christian and academic work

Sayers herself considered her translation of Dante's Divina Commedia to be her best work. Unfinished at her death, it was completed by Barbara Reynolds. On a line-by-line basis, this translation can seem idiosyncratic. For example, the famous line usually rendered "Abandon hope, all ye who enter here" turns, in the Sayers translation, into "Lay down all hope, you who go in by me." As the Italian reads "Lasciate ogni speranza, o voi ch'intrate", both the traditional and Sayers' translation add to the source text in an effort to preserve the original length: "here" is added in the first case, and "by me" in the second. It can be argued that Sayers' translation is actually more accurate, in that the original intimates to "abandon all hope". Also, the addition of "by me" draws from the previous lines of the canto: "Per me si va ne la città dolente;/ per me si va ne l'etterno dolore;/ per me si va tra la perduta gente." (Longfellow: "Through me the way is to the city dolent;/ through me the way is to the eternal dole;/ through me the way is to the people lost.") Look up translate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Dante in a fresco series of famous men by Andrea del Castagno, ca. ... For other uses see The Divine Comedy (disambiguation), Dantes Inferno (disambiguation), and The Inferno (disambiguation) Dante shown holding a copy of The Divine Comedy, next to the entrance to Hell, the seven terraces of Mount Purgatory and the city of Florence, with the spheres of Heaven above, in Michelino... Barbara Reynolds, Italian scholar, lexicographer and translator, husband of the philologist and translator Lewis Thorpe. ... Baron Longfellow , also named Andy Kim was an artist from the 60s. ...

Sayers also wrote three volumes of commentaries about Dante, religious essays and plays, of which The Man Born to be King may be the best known. // Dorothy L. Sayers began writing plays for public performance in 1935 with Busmanâ€™s Honeymoon, a dramatic incarnation of the characters from her Lord Peter Wimsey books. ... The Man Born to be King is a radio drama based on the life of Jesus, produced and broadcast by the BBC during the Second World War. ...

In the introduction to her translation of The Song of Roland, Sayers expressed an outspoken feeling of attraction and love for "(...) that new-washed world of clear sun and glittering colour which we call the Middle Age (as though it were middle-aged) but which has perhaps a better right than the blown rose of the Renaissance to be called the Age of Re-birth". She praised "Roland" for being a purely Christian myth, in contrast to such epics as Beowulf in which she found a strong Pagan content. Eight phases of The Song of Roland in one picture. ... This article is about the epic poem. ... Pagan may refer to: A believer in Paganism or Neopaganism Bagan, a city in Myanmar also known as Pagan Pagan (album), the 6th album by Celtic metal band Cruachan Pagan Island, of the Northern Mariana Islands Pagan Lorn, a metal band from Luxembourg, Europe (1994-1998) Pagans Mind, is...

Her religious works did so well at presenting the orthodox Anglican position that in 1943 the Archbishop of Canterbury offered her a Lambeth doctorate in divinity, which she declined. In 1950, however, she accepted an honorary doctorate of letters from the University of Durham. This box: Anglicanism most commonly refers to the beliefs and practices of the Anglican Communion, a world-wide affiliation of Christian Churches, most of which have historical connections with the Church of England. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Archbishop of Canterbury is the spiritual leader and senior clergyman of the Church of England, recognized by convention as the head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ... Lambeth degrees are academic degrees awarded by the Archbishop of Canterbury, under the authority of the Ecclesiastical Licences Act 1533 (25 Hen VIII c 21) (Eng). ... Doctor of Divinity (D.D., Divinitatis Doctor in Latin) is an academic degree. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Doctor of Letters (Latin: Litterarum doctor; D.Litt. ... Durham University is a university in England. ...

Her most notable religious book is probably The Mind of the Maker (1941) which explores at length the analogy between a human Creator (especially a writer of novels and plays) and the doctrine of The Trinity in creation. She suggests that any human creation of significance involves the Idea, the Energy (roughly: the process of writing and that actual 'incarnation' as a material object) and the Power (roughly: the process of reading/hearing and the effect it has on the audience) and that this "trinity" has useful analogies with the theological Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In addition to the ingenious thinking in working out this analogy, the book contains striking examples drawn from her own experiences as a writer and elegant criticisms of writers when the balance between Idea, Energy and Power is not, in her view, adequate.^[1] She defends strongly the view that literary creatures have a nature of their own, vehemently replying to a well-wisher who wanted Lord Peter to "end up a convinced Christian". "From what I know of him, nothing is more unlikely ... Peter is not the Ideal Man" ^[2] The Trinity is a group of Hip-Hop artists on the come-up in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. ...

Her very influential essay The Lost Tools of Learning has been used by many schools in the US as a basis for the classical education movement, reviving the medieval trivium subjects, grammar, logic and rhetoric, as tools to enable the analysis and mastery of every other subject. The Classical education movement advocates a form of education based in the traditions of Western culture, with a particular focus on education as understood and taught in the Middle Ages, with a further glance back to the Ancient Greek concept of Paideia. ...

For many years, she was a churchwarden at St Thomas-cum-St Anne's in the City of London. A Churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church of the Anglican Communion. ... Motto: Domine dirige nos Latin: Lord, guide us Shown within Greater London Sovereign state Constituent country Region Greater London Status City and Ceremonial County Admin HQ Guildhall Government - Leadership see text - Mayor David Lewis - MP Mark Field - London Assembly John Biggs Area - Total 1. ...

Criticism of Sayers

Edmund Wilson

The most savage attack on Sayers' writing ability came from the prominent American critic and man of letters Edmund Wilson in a well-known 1945 article in The New Yorker called Who Cares Who Killed Roger Ackroyd?^[3] He briefly writes about her famous novel The Nine Tailors, saying "I set out to read [it] in the hope of tasting some novel excitement, and I declare that it seems to me one of the dullest books I have ever encountered in any field. The first part is all about bell-ringing as it is practised in English churches and contains a lot of information of the kind that you might expect to find in an encyclopedia article on campanology. I skipped a good deal of this, and found myself skipping, also, a large section of the conversations between conventional English village characters...." After a mention of the "awful whimsical patter of Lord Peter", Wilson then attacks Sayers' apparent strength: "I had often heard people say that Dorothy Sayers wrote well... but, really, she does not write very well: it is simply that she is more consciously literary than most of the other detective-story writers and that she thus attracts attention in a field which is mostly on a sub-literary level." This article does not cite any references or sources. ... An intellectual is a person who uses his or her intellect to study, reflect, and speculate on a variety of different ideas. ... Edmund Wilson (May 8, 1895 â€“ June 12, 1972) was an American writer, noted chiefly for his literary criticism. ... For other uses, see New Yorker. ...

Criticism of Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane

Wimsey has been criticized for being too perfect; over time the various talents he displays grow too numerous to be believed. Edmund Wilson also expressed his distaste for Lord Peter in his criticism of The Nine Tailors: "There was also a dreadful stock English nobleman of the casual and debonair kind, with the embarrassing name of Lord Peter Wimsey, and, although he was the focal character in the novel... I had to skip a good deal of him, too."^[3] Early paperback edition cover of Murder Must Advertise Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey is a fictional character in a series of detective novels and short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers, in which he solves mysteries â€” usually murder mysteries. ...

Wimsey is rich, well-educated, charming, and brave, as well as an accomplished musician, an exceptional athlete, and a notable lover. His only flaws are what other characters regard as silly prattling, a nervous disorder (shell-shock) and a fear of responsibility. The latter two both originate from his service in World War I. The military term combat stress reaction (CSR) comprises the range of adverse behaviours in reaction to the stress of combat and combat related activities. ... â€œThe Great War â€ redirects here. ...

The character Harriet Vane, featured in four novels, has been criticized for being a mere stand-in for the author. Vane, like Sayers, was educated at Oxford (unusual for a woman at the time) and is a mystery writer. Vane initially meets Wimsey when she is tried for poisoning her lover (Strong Poison); he insists on participating in the defense preparations for her re-trial, where he falls for her but she rejects him. In Have his Carcase she collaborates with Wimsey to solve a murder but still finds Wimsey overbearing and superficial. She eventually returns his love (Gaudy Night) and marries him (Busman's Honeymoon). After Sayers' affairs with Cournos and White were revealed, the comparisons between Sayers and Vane became more emphatic. (Neither Sayers' affairs with Cournos or White were publicly known during her lifetime.) Harriet Deborah Vane, Lady Peter Wimsey, is a fictional character in the writings of Dorothy L. Sayers. ...

In contrast, McGregor and Lewis suggest that Vane and Wimsey's discussions about mystery in story versus real life — within the context of a mystery story — merely reflect Sayers' sense of fun.

Anti-Semitism in Sayers' writing

The portrayal of Jews in Sayers' fictional work has been criticized by some for being stereotypical and some of Sayers' characters express explicitly anti-semitic views. However, other critics consider Sayers to be subtly criticizing anti-semitism and racism in her novels. Characters expressing such views were arguably being used by Sayers to demonstrate the existence of anti-semitism within the context of the work or were otherwise integral to the story. For instance, a maid who refused to serve a person of colour in Unnatural Death voiced many racist sentiments, but the overall story upholds the person of colour as a paragon of virtue (a minister, no less). Within the story, Miss Climpson, a sympathetic character, roundly condemns the maid's racism, although her own choice of language implies that she has (consciously or unconsciously) adapted some racist tendencies herself. One of Sayers's recurring (and sympathetic) characters, the Hon. Frederick Arbuthnot, marries a Jew, the daughter of the murder victim in Whose Body?, to the cheerful acceptance of best man Lord Peter Wimsey. Wimsey's jeweller is described as one of G. K. Chesterton's "nice Jews". Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Gilbert Keith Chesterton (May 29, 1874â€“June 14, 1936) was an influential English writer of the early 20th century. ...

Sayers' biographers disagree as to whether Sayers was consciously anti-Semitic. James Brabazon argues that Sayers was consciously anti-semitic in Sayers: A Biography^[4] This is refuted by Carolyn G. Heilbrun in 'Dorothy L. Sayers: Biography Between the Lines'.^[5] McGregor and Lewis argue in Conundrums for the Long Week-End that Sayers was not consciously anti-semitic but used popular British stereotypes of class and ethnicity. Anti-Semitism was common in Sayers' social class before the Second World War, and Sayers may not have regarded herself as consciously anti-Semitic. In 1936, a translator wanted "to soften the thrusts against the Jews" in 1922's Whose Body?; Sayers, surprised, replied that the only characters "treated in a favorable light were the Jews!"^[6]

Sayers had a number of personal and professional associations with Jewish people. She had an unsuccessful relationship with a Jewish man, which some have argued may have influenced her writing.^[7] Her original publisher was Jewish, and the Chief Rabbi was a frequent visitor at her salons.

Sayers in work by other authors

Sayers' work was frequently parodied by her contemporaries (and sometimes by herself). McGregor and Lewis suggest that some of the character Harriet Vane's observations reveal Sayers poking fun at the mystery genre - even while adhering to various conventions herself. dorothy and agatha by gaylord larsen, isbn 0-451-40314-2 This work is copyrighted. ... dorothy and agatha by gaylord larsen, isbn 0-451-40314-2 This work is copyrighted. ... In contemporary usage, a parody (or lampoon) is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ... Harriet Deborah Vane, Lady Peter Wimsey, is a fictional character in the writings of Dorothy L. Sayers. ... A genre [], (French: kind or sort from Greek: Î³ÎÎ½Î¿Ï‚ (genos)) is a loose set of criteria for a category of literary composition; the term is also used for any other form of art or utterance. ...

A particularly interesting example of parody is "Greedy Night" (1938) by E. C. Bentley, the author of the early modern detective novel Trent's Last Case, a work which Sayers admired. E. C. Bentley (July 10, 1875 – March 30, 1956), was a popular English novelist and humorist of the early twentieth century, and the inventor of the clerihew, an irregular form of humorous verse on biographical topics. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Trents Last Case Trents Last Case is a detective novel (1913) by E. C. Bentley; a 1920 silent movie based on the book and directed by Richard Garrick; a 1929 silent movie adapted to the screen from the book by...

Lord Peter Wimsey appears (together with Hercule Poirot and Father Brown) in C. Northcote Parkinson's comic novel Jeeves. David Suchet as Hercule Poirot in The Dream Hercule Poirot (pronounced in english ) is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. ... The Father Brown stories by G.K. Chesterton, Penguin Books edition 1981 Father Brown is a fictional detective created by English novelist G. K. Chesterton, who stars in 52 short stories, later compiled in five books. ... Cyril Northcote Parkinson (born July 30, 1909 in Barnard Castle, Durham County- died March 9, 1993 in Canterbury, Kent) was a naval historian and author of some sixty books, the most famous of which was his best seller Parkinsons Laws, which led him to be also considered as an...

Sayers appears, with Agatha Christie, as a title character in Dorothy and Agatha [ISBN 0-451-40314-2], a fictional murder mystery by Gaylord Larsen, in which a man is murdered in her dining room, and Sayers has to solve the crime. Agatha Mary Clarissa, Lady Mallowan, DBE (15 September 1890 â€“ 12 January 1976), mainly known as Agatha Christie, was an English crime fiction writer. ... Gaylord Larsen (born 1932) is a 20th century author. ...

Sayers's god-daughter Barbara Reynolds has suggested that the character of Aunt Dot in Rose Macaulay's novel The Towers of Trebizond (1956) is based on Dorothy L. Sayers.^[8] Emilie Rose Macaulay, DBE (1 August 1881 - 30 October 1958), affectionately known as Emilie (her actual first name), was an English novelist. ... The Towers of Trebizond is a novel published in 1956 by the English novelist, biographer and traveller Rose Macaulay (1881-1958). ...

Jill Paton Walsh has completed and published two additional novels about Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane: Thrones, Dominations, based on an unfinished novel; and A Presumption of Death, based on the "Wimsey Papers", letters ostensibly written by various Wimseys and published in The Spectator during World War II. Jill Paton Walsh (born 1937) is an English novelist and childrens writer. ... Thrones, Dominations is a Lord Peter Wimsey murder mystery novel that Dorothy L. Sayers began writing in 1936 but abandoned. ... A Presumption of Death is a mystery novel by Jill Paton Walsh, based loosely on The Wimsey Papers by Dorothy L. Sayers. ... The Spectator is a conservative British political magazine, established 1828, published weekly. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler's Wife, has claimed in interviews that her main characters, Henry and Clare, are loosely based on Sayers' Peter and Harriet. Audrey Niffenegger (born June 13, 1963 in South Haven, Michigan) is a writer and artist. ... The Time Travelers Wife (ISBN 0-15-602943-X) is a novel by Audrey Niffenegger. ...

Lord Peter Wimsey makes a cameo appearance in Laurie R. King's A Letter of Mary, one of a series of books relating the further adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and his equally talented partner and spouse, Mary Russell. A Letter of Mary is the third book in The Beekeepers Apprentice series by Laurie R. King. ...

Bibliography

Image File history File links DorothyLSayers_MuderMustAdvertise. ... Image File history File links DorothyLSayers_MuderMustAdvertise. ... Murder Must Advertise is a Lord Peter Wimsey mystery novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, published in 1933. ... // Dorothy L. Sayers began writing plays for public performance in 1935 with Busmanâ€™s Honeymoon, a dramatic incarnation of the characters from her Lord Peter Wimsey books. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ...

Poetry

Lord Peter Wimsey novels and short stories

Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Clouds of Witness is a 1926 novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, the second in her series featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. ... Unnatural death is a category used by coroners and vital statistics specialists for classifying all human deaths not properly describable as death by natural causes. ... The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club is a 1928 novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, her fourth featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. ... Lord Peter Views the Body Cover Lord Peter Views the Body, first published in 1928, was the first collection of short stories about Lord Peter Wimsey by Dorothy L. Sayers. ... Strong Poison is a 1931 novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, her fifth featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. ... Five Red Herrings are among the six suspects in the murder of an artist in a village in Kirkcudbright, Scotland, in this 1931 novel by Dorothy L. Sayers. ... Have His Carcase is a 1932 novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, her seventh featuring Lord Peter Wimsey and her second novel in which Harriet Vane appears. ... Hangmans Holiday is a collection of short stories, mostly murder mysteries, by Dorothy L. Sayers (ISBN 0-380-42010-4). ... Murder Must Advertise is a Lord Peter Wimsey mystery novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, published in 1933. ... The Nine Tailors is a 1934 mystery novel by British writer Dorothy L. Sayers, her ninth featuring sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey. ... Gaudy Night is a 1935 Lord Peter Wimsey detective story by Dorothy L. Sayers. ... Busmans Honeymoon is a 1937 novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, her eleventh (and last) featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. ... In the Teeth of the Evidence is a collection of short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers first published by Victor Gollancz in 1939. ...

Other crime fiction

Image File history File links TheFloatingAdmiral. ... The Documents in the Case is a 1930 novel by Dorothy L. Sayers and Robert Eustace. ... The Detection Club was formed in the 1920s by a group of British mystery writers including such well known authors as Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, G.K. Chesterton, Freeman Wills Crofts, and Ronald Knox. ... The Scoop & Behind The Screen, published together in this volume in 1983, are both collaborative detective novels written by members of the Detection Club. ... The Listener was a weekly magazine established by the BBC under Lord Reith in January 1929. ...

Dante translations and commentaries

Essays and non-fiction

Image File history File links Dorothy_L_Sayers_Are_women_human_web. ... Mind of the Maker (1941) is a Christian religious studies book, written by Dorothy L. Sayers. ... The Man Born to be King is a radio drama based on the life of Jesus, produced and broadcast by the BBC during the Second World War. ...

Unpublished work

Letters

Five volumes of Sayers' letters have been published, edited by Barbara Reynolds.

External links

Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is one of a family of wiki-based projects run by the Wikimedia Foundation, running on MediaWiki software. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... Dumfries and Galloway (DÃ¹n Phris agus an Gall-Ghaidhealaibh in Gaelic) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. ...

Notes

References and scholarship

Categories: English crime fiction writers | English mystery writers | English women writers | Copywriters | English Anglicans | Anglo-Catholicism | People from Oxford | Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford | 1893 births | 1957 deaths | Lay theologians | French-English translators | Italian-English translators Barbara Reynolds, Italian scholar, lexicographer and translator, husband of the philologist and translator Lewis Thorpe. ... John Lennard is Professor of British and American Literature at the University of the West Indies, Mona, and a freelance academic and writer. ... Barbara Reynolds, Italian scholar, lexicographer and translator, husband of the philologist and translator Lewis Thorpe. ... Year 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 164th day of the year (165th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the city of Oxford in England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... , Witham (pronounced Wittam; IPA, /ËˆwÉªtÃ¦m/) is a town in the county of Essex, in the south east of England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ...

Contents

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