In this third of four episodes on STRONG POISON, we start discussing the second half of the book. We talk about the very uncomfortable Christmas Peter spends at Dukes Denver. We also consider detective fiction as “the purest literature we have” and how STRONG POISON marks a turn in Sayers’ style. Sharon finally learns how to pronounce Norman Urquhart’s name, the book catches us up on several characters’ love lives, and we see how a Cattery operative works. Also: more plot!
Download the episode 12 transcript!
Shownotes:
- We talk about contemporary mystery writer Tana French as an inheritor of Sayers’ style of character portraiture.
- THE SECRET HISTORY is by Donna Tartt, and we both highly recommend it.
- Charis paraphrases JRR Tolkien’s comments on Sayers from a 1944 letter to his son, in which he actually wrote “I could not stand Gaudy Night. I followed P. Wimsey from his attractive beginnings so far, by which time I conceived a loathing of him (and his creatrix) not surpassed by any other character in literature known to me, unless by his Harriet.” [Letter 71 from THE LETTERS OF JRR TOLKIEN, ed. by Humphrey Carpenter]
- We reference the Bechdel test in our discussion of JRR Tolkien’s criticism of Sayers’ mysteries.
- “I served seven years for Rachel”; this is a story from the Hebrew Bible that Freddie Arbuthnot cites to Lady Levy.
- “The Adventurous Exploit of the Cave of Ali Baba” is from the short story collection LORD PETER VIEWS THE BODY, first published in 1928. In it, Peter fakes his own death in order to infiltrate a gang of criminals.
