strange and random happenstance: Gaudy Night

Showing posts with label Gaudy Night. Show all posts

Friday, February 13, 2026

Season 4 - Murder Must Advertise/The Nine Tailors (1974-1975)

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you, this is the second Lord Peter Wimsey post in a week. I made a vow to myself to not repeat shows for Fifty-Five Years a Masterpiece, much as I did for its predecessor, Fifty Years a Masterpiece, but sometimes it's unavoidable, especially as later seasons of Masterpiece Theatre have fewer shows and one season had only a single show. Yes, I'm looking at you season thirty-seven. If it had been I good show I might have forgiven you, but The Amazing Mrs Pritchard is not good. Over thirty years earlier season three of Masterpiece Theatre had six shows while season four had five. With my self-imposed vow to not repeat a review that omitted Country Matters, The Edwardians, and Upstairs, Downstairs from consideration. Which left Lord Peter Wimsey, The Man Who Was Hunting Himself, and Vienna 1900. Thanks to YouTube I have actually found a lot of supposedly lost media this past year but The Man Who Was Hunting Himself and Vienna 1900 weren't among them when I previously checked. So I decided to take a novel approach so you wouldn't get the same post twice in a week. That approach was to watch the two mysteries featured in season three and then write my review before I started the two mysteries featured in season four. And voila! Two entirely new and unique reviews. Of course if I do a celebration for the sixtieth and the two aforementioned shows haven't made an appearance by then I have a feeling I'll be repeating myself... But I do at least try to refresh it and say thankee for indulging me. PS I'm totally planning on doing Sixty Years a Masterpiece. I might already be writing posts for it. So this season adapts Lord Peter's most famous case, "Murder Must Advertise," and I have to say, this is the Dorothy L. Sayers I know and loath. The racial slurs and infodumps are all here. Why no, I do not want to learn every single employee in the advertising agency in the first five minutes while they're all talking over each other simultaneously because I will forget who they all are, oh, and you're now doing it with the bell ringers in "The Nine Tailors?" I do not want to know the name of every single bell ringer, as well as the name, number, and tone of their bell. Because there is no way I will remember this information as they all look like identical old white men. And yes, she did this to me in Gaudy Night too. Which I haven't forgiven her for. I actually started a cast list while reading that book to try to avoid confusion. At least in a visual medium I can remember some of the faces. You know, the one young bell ringer, the one that reminds me of Richard Griffiths, that sort of thing. Because if there's one thing that these adaptations get right about Dorothy L. Sayers, beyond the racial slurs and infodumps, they are confusing as hell. One crime deals with breaking up a drug smuggling ring which I literally couldn't care less about all while Lord Peter is rather annoying darting around town dressed up as a harlequin with a penny whistle while the other is so badly plotted I have no idea when the mystery took place. I think it started right before the outbreak of WWI and then leaped forward to the middle of thirties, but with everyone still oddly talking about the Spanish Flu. Which led me down a rabbit hole about when there were other flu outbreaks, and needless to say, if you're having to do extracurricular research just to enjoy a show perhaps the show should have been giving you more information. I mean, they could have just put the date on the screen! Sigh. That obviously would have been too easy. I just really feel bad for Ian Carmichael. He really is a great Lord Peter. Too bad the source material isn't the greatest. And I know that sounds like blasphemy to some, but it's exactly how I feel.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments

Labels: Bell Ringers, Dorothy L. Sayers, Fifty-Five Years a Masterpiece, Gaudy Night, Ian Camichael, Infodump, Lord Peter Wimsey, Murder Must Advertise, Racism, Spanish Flu, The Man Who Was Hunting Himself, The Nine Tailors, WWI

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Book Review - Dorothy L. Sayers's Gaudy Night

Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers
Published by: HarperTorch
Publication Date: 1935
Format: Paperback, 501 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

Harriet Vane's name might be notorious because of a certain murder trial but she has decided that that is in her past and she will no longer allow it to control her future. She has longed to return to her beloved alma mater, Shrewsbury College in Oxford, to catch up with old friends, and therefore accepts the invitation to attend their Gaudy. She is surprised to be so warmly welcomed and falls quickly in love with academia once again. Perhaps she will return and write a book? A serious book, not the mysteries she is known for. On her return home though she finds a nasty and vulgar drawing in her robes. The poison pen message refers to her as a "dirty murderess" and taints her entire return to Oxford. She tries to put it behind her but then the Dean of Shrewsbury reaches out to Harriet. The poison pen letter Harriet received wasn't a one time occurrence. They have been plaguing the staff and students at the school and have escalated into wanton vandalism. As a woman's college they are viewed under a microscope so if word gets out about these attacks they could be ruined. Harriet, no stranger to the poison pen even before the Gaudy, agrees to come back to Shrewsbury and lend a hand. In order to not make it look suspicious she puts it about that she is there to research Sheridan Le Fanu for a biography she means to write, as well as assisting one of the dons on the endless revisions of her book. Alibi firmly in place she heads back into the bosom of Oxford and finds a writhing snake pit. The letters are getting more vicious, the vandalism more destructive. Harriet wonders, what would Lord Peter do? Well, as he's off doing something on the continent, she can guess, but can't get his help. It's up to her to solve this mystery and decide where she's going to go from here. Could she become a serious academic? Or is that only a way to run away from her feelings and the complication of love? And does she love Lord Peter? Will she succumb to his advances and agree to marry him? First she has to make sure she survives before she plans a future.

One might like to point out to those who view this as a paragon, a classic of mystery fiction, that perhaps three hundred pages of exposition was unnecessary. But then again, as one member of my book club put it,"I had the thought today of going back to count every single proper noun that was dropped... at a guess: 82? If she expected me to remember anything about any of these people, well, she misunderestimated my attention span." More than an editor this book also needed a dramatis personae. But I feel like I'm getting ahead of myself here. Gaudy Night was to be the bellwether as to my final decision on Dorothy L. Sayers. This was her proving ground. I had earlier read the first three adventures of Lord Peter Wimsey, Whose Body?, Clouds of Witness, and Unnatural Death (which had a nice callback here) and basically hated them. There's no beating around the bush with my dislike of the books and her obvious hatred of Jews. I was shocked to see that she was actually against Hitler. But EVERYONE said Gaudy Night was a must read. So read it I must. But I kept putting it off. And off again. I even left it out and yet I couldn't bring myself to pick it up. So my solution was to make my book club read it. I feel slightly bad... maybe? But not really when I think of some of the things they've made me read. In fairness we don't mean to choose bad books, it just seems to turn out that way. Most people cite this book as their favorite Dorothy L. Sayers because it cements the relationship of Harriet Vane and Lord Peter. I wanted to read it because I love Oxford. I was let down on both accounts. The overt specificity with regard to Oxford down to specific turns at specific cobbles in the streets made it too hard for the Oxford enthusiast but not the aficionado to enjoy. As for Harriet and Peter, the aforementioned three hundred pages of exposition means that until Peter actually showed up there wasn't much of a book. I SO wanted Harriet Vane to solve the crime on her own, but sadly, it's Lord Peter who not only solves the crime, but makes the book bearable. Which is really Dorothy L. Sayers letting the sisterhood down. A college full of smart women and they can't catch the culprit in their midst? Yeah, that really supports women's rights. Grumble grumble. So the question becomes, did this book make me actually want to read the rest of the series? No, yes, I don't know. Give me a few years and maybe I'll pick up another one? Maybe. Just tell me she translates the Latin this time?

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments

Labels: Academia, Clouds of Witness, Dorothy L. Sayers, Gaudy, Gaudy Night, Harriet Vane, Lord Peter Wimsey, Murder Most Foul, Oxford, Poison Pen Letters, Sheridan Le Fanu, Shrewsbury College, Unnatural Death, Whose Body

Friday, October 26, 2018

Meeting Tasha: The First Time

2012 was a very hard year. This was my last year taking classes toward my Associate Degree in Applied Arts, Graphic Design and Illustration, and my winter semester literally started with my mom breaking her hip. I had to call 911 before leaving for my first class. I needed something, anything, to look forward to and thankfully by the end of that first hard week I had something to look forward to. On Wednesday, February 22nd, at 1:30 PM at the Barrington Public Library in Barrington, Illinois, Lauren Willig was doing an event to promote her ninth Pink Carnation book, The Garden Intrigue. Even better, the event being on a Wednesday it didn't interfere with my classes because I had a Tuesday/Thursday schedule. Though I fully admit I would've skipped for Lauren, even more so because as Lauren stated in her Valentine's Day newsletter, she was going to "be joined by the lovely Tasha Alexander." At this time Tasha already had six Lady Emily books in print but I had yet to meet her! Despite the fact she lived in Chicago, a mere three hours away from me, in good traffic! The event was billed as Talk and Tea and I just couldn't wait.

The day arrived, I was thankful it wasn't snowing, being February in Wisconsin you just can not guess what the weather will be like, a tornado is even possible! So off I headed to the flatland. I'd never been to the Barrington Public Library, all I knew from a map search was that there was a Half Price Books nearby, and yes, of course I visited it. The library was lovely. The space was large and open, it felt like a cathedral of high wood beams and lovely bookish silence. While the day was overcast it was easy to see that on a sunny day it would be magnificent, the library version of the Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. The event was in a large room to the left of the soaring space and I eagerly entered. Along the back wall was copious teapots and cups with a choice of Lipton teas, not exactly the "tea" I had imagined, but then again after going to high tea at The Pierre in New York City my idea of what a tea should be is not really in line with what a Midwestern library is probably going to do. But more importantly, tea should not be balanced with stacks of books! And they had stacks of books to buy! I have never seen so many books, and I felt bad I owned all but two, because I love to support local bookstores.

See, the problem was, though it's not really a problem until you go to a signing, but I had already gotten all my books by Tasha signed through Murder by the Book. Luckily I found out Tasha had written the movie tie-in edition for Elizabeth: The Golden Age, a movie I have criminally not seen especially as it has Laurence Fox in it, but my "History of Costume" class for my BA in Theater had me a little Elizabeth-ed out. We watched that first movie a lot. Well, in fairness the costumes are amazing. Even more amazing in person as I learned a few years later. But this meant there was a Tasha book I could have signed at the event! In case Lake Forest Book Store didn't have a copy I was ready with one I had gotten off Amazon. But thankfully they did so I had two copies for Tasha to sign, one was for me and one was for my blog and oh, how I wish I had saved it for Alexander Autumn, but sadly it was not to be. With my new copy of The Garden Intrigue and my two copies of Elizabeth: The Golden Age, I sat down and waited, talking to a few of my fellow book enthusiasts. One of them was very interested in my copy of Fall of Poppies, an anthology about the Great War that Lauren had participated in and which they hadn't heard of. I was happy to talk to them about it but really I couldn't wait for the event to begin.

The event was spectacular. Sometimes I really wish I had the wherewithal to remember to write down everything that happens at memorable events, but I've found taking notes makes me not really present and I tend to forget to do it afterwards when I'm still basking in the afterglow, or in this case buying a whole set of Kerry Greenwood's Miss Fisher Mysteries IN HARDCOVER from the nearby Half Price Books. There's also something about writing it out that takes some of the glamor away, it's far better to talk about it with friends as you drive home. So what do I remember about Tasha and Lauren's event? I remember thinking that they should always tour together. They are both great speakers on their own, but together they are a great double act, discussing champagne and dancing on tables, and you can just see their friendship as they're able to finish each others sentences and simultaneously recite their favorite lines from Dorothy L. Sayers. As for what Tasha talked about? Well Death in the Floating City, Lady Emily's seventh adventure, would be coming out later in the year, and she talked a bit about her process for writing the Venetian adventure. Mainly that she was glad she had a family who supported her when she said she had to write the book in Venice.

As I'm currently a third of the way through Death in the Floating City (review up next Wednesday!) I can say that going to Venice really did pay off. In fact Tasha is unique among a lot of writers in that she loves to travel and walk the streets of where she is going to set her books. This adds such a level of realism that you feel you are walking the streets beside her and Lady Emily. Also, I really wouldn't say no to writing a book in Venice... After the talk there was a signing, I talked to Lauren about what I was doing in school (personal branding) and I remember she complimented my shorter hair and I know I made a face, to which she insisted she liked the short hair, and the thing was, I wasn't making the face about my short hair, I was making the face because I really needed to get it trimmed up and a little shorter, it was a bit raggedy. I agree with Lauren, I like my hair short! Then I finally got to meet Tasha, and she was just lovely and so nice and so happy I had a book I was signing to give away on my blog (again people I'm sorry I gave it away prematurely!) Then I went back out into the lovely atrium and went on my way. Book signings always seem to end abruptly. There's all this build up, a lovely talk, a little chat with the author, and you're out the door and on your way home. It's a harsh return to reality. But at least I can look back on two of my favorite authors sharing favorite quotes and quips from Gaudy Night whenever I want.