Gaudy Feelings

Murder, She Writes

I’m heading back in time to one of my favorite writers from the heyday of British detective fiction, Dorothy L. Sayers. The protagonist in Sayers’ novels is Lord Peter Wimsey, an intelligent, wealthy British nobleman veteran who suffers from bouts of PTSD when he isn’t solving mysteries.

Harriet Vane, a mystery writer, and Wimsey’s love interest, first shows up in Strong Poison, where she is accused of her lover’s murder until Wimsey figures out what really happened. Wimsey wants to marry her, but she hesitates to marry him for a number of reasons, both rational and irrational.

Gaudy Nights takes place at Oxford University in the fictional women’s college, Shrewsbury. Harriet Vane reluctantly returns to an annual reunion, called a Gaudy at the request of an ill former classmate. Soon she is engrossed in a mystery at the college, where a poisoned pen writer is sending out hateful messages to students and faculty. This mystery Harriet works on methodically and with an intellect not often seen in female characters of the era.

In all her novels, Sayers considers the psychology of our experiences–love, shame, anger, guilt, and more. Gaudy Nights, in particular, provides plenty of opportunities for Harriet Vane’s perspective on the roles of women, marriage, her own role in marriage (if she were to marry Wimsey), and the challenges of being attracted to someone while concerned about the long-term outcomes of where attraction can lead. Will she lose her sense of self?

I enjoy the banter and intellectual interactions between Vane and Wimsey. As the story evolves, the mystery of the person behind the poisoned pen notes and all-around mischief-maker grows increasingly dangerous. Sayers was a master at complex plots with heaps of clues in multiple directions; that is one of the many reasons I find her novels worthwhile.

Though Sayer asserts a critical view of the treatment of women, especially intellectual women, there are some classic male and female tropes. Considering the publication date of 1935, the underlying stereotypes represent a reflection of the era. With that said, Wimsey is one of the early detective characters who evolves over time as a complex human, not merely a bright and witty rich guy. Vane’s leading role in this novel demonstrates Sayer’s understanding that a woman’s perspective is as valuable as a man’s.