Episode 14: FIVE RED HERRINGS, part 1

~ Sharon

In which Charis and Sharon return from their short hiatus to talk about traaaaaiiiiinnnnssss. That’s right, this is the first of two episodes on THE FIVE RED HERRINGS! Our friend Angela Hines joined us to represent the pro-timetables point of view.

We discuss Sayers’ correspondence about the novel with her publisher, as well as how the book differs from the previous Lord Peter mysteries. We also cover the scene of the murder, discuss a depiction of marriage in THE FIVE RED HERRINGS, and get ourselves tangled up trying to distinguish which Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood version of “The Lady of Shalott” we’re respectively referring to.

This episode covers roughly the first half the novel and does not give away the whodunnit.

Download the episode 14 transcript.

Shownotes:

Episode 13.5: Neuroscience with Gavrielle Farmer

~ Sharon

In this special episode, Sharon spoke with listener Gavrielle Farmer about breakthroughs in neuroscience in the early 20th century, contemporary conversations about brain chemistry and behavior in Sayers’ day, the evolving conversation around shellshock between the world wars, and more.

Charis and Sharon also catch up on each other’s lives during Covid-19 shelter-in-place.

The podcast is taking a short hiatus and will return in four weeks with an episode on FIVE RED HERRINGS.

Download the episode 13.5 transcript!

Shownotes:

  • Sharon and Charis note that neither STATION ELEVEN (Emily St. John Mandel) nor DOOMSDAY BOOK (Connie Willis) may be comforting pandemic reading. They do recommend TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG and HOGFATHER (Terry Pratchett) if you’re looking for an engrossing read that’s on the lighter side.
  • If you’re interested in learning more about milestones in the study of neuroscience, Gavrielle recommends this resource.
  • Gavrielle cited the following publications in our discussion:
    -“Where Has Psychology Left Religion?” (1923), George Malcolm Stratton, The Journal of Religion Vol. 3 no. 1 p. 51-63
    -“Psychology and Free Will” (1937), Aidan Elrington, Blackfriars Vol. 18 no. 205 p. 262-272
    -“Has Psychology Failed?” (1935), Joseph Jastrow, The American Scholar Vol. 4 no. 3 p. 261-269
  • For more on our current understanding of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, you can find resources from the American Psychiatric Association and the US National Institute of Mental Health.
  • If you would like us to relay a question to Gavrielle on the topic of glands and neuroscience, you can email us at talkingpiffle AT gmail DOT com.

Episode 13: STRONG POISON, part 4

~ Sharon

In which Charis and Sharon conclude their discussion of STRONG POISON. We follow Miss Climpson as she has an encounter with Spiritualism, Miss Murchison as she snoops, and give away the whodunnit and howdunnit. We also talk about narrative echoes to previous Wimsey mysteries, such as Mrs. Wrayburn in relation to the other elderly women in UNNATURAL DEATH and THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB. And we consider the callbacks to the scene in WHOSE BODY? where Peter solves the case.

Download the episode 13 transcript!

Shownotes:

  • We bring up TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG by Connie Willis, which we both love so much, again in our discussion about Miss Climpson’s fake seance.
  • W.B. Yeats’ interest in Occultism is well-documented in his own writing and biographies about him.
  • For more on the Fox Sisters, see this article from The Smithsonian.
  • Charis brings up LEVERAGE, her favorite tv show.
  • “You’ve been Dread Pirate Robertsing it”; Sharon is referring to a pivotal plot revelation in THE PRINCESS BRIDE.
  • We both talk about our distaste for Turkish Delight, despite early reading of THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE convincing us it would be delightful.
  • The anecdote about Anne Shirley expecting diamonds to look like amethysts is from ANNE OF GREEN GABLES.
  • King Cophetua; Harriet’s friends are referring to a ballad in which a king falls in love on first sight with a beggar maid and proposes marriage.

Episode 12: STRONG POISON, part 3

~ Sharon

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.

Episode 11: STRONG POISON, part 2

~ Sharon

In this episode, Charis and Sharon talk about the real-life inspiration for Philip Boyes and what was happening in Sayers’ life around the time she wrote STRONG POISON. We also see more of Marjorie Phelps, learn about Harriet’s circle of friends, and reflect on Peter’s gender performance and privilege in a world of double standards.

This is the second of our episodes on the first half of STRONG POISON. We talk about events up through chapter 11 and do not give away the whodunnit. Here’s our previous episode with part one of our discussion.

*Audio note: There is a slight high-pitched buzz in the background of this episode on Charis’ side of the audio that we could not quite edit out and do apologize for!

*Content note: We bring up the topic of narcissists and abusive relationships at two points in this episode. While we do not go into detail, if this is a topic you would rather not hear about, those discussions take place between minutes 23:40 and 25:04, and again between minutes 47:48 and 50:00.

Download the transcript for episode 11!

Shownotes:

Episode 10: STRONG POISON, part 1

~ Sharon

In which Charis and Sharon finally (finally!) start discussing STRONG POISON, the fifth Lord Peter Wimsey mystery. We talk about the dramatic introduction of Harriet Vane, our love for the novel’s first few chapters, and the theme of the detective’s intuition. We also cover Parker’s promotion, Sayers’ desire to “Reichenbach” Peter, and the many callbacks this book has to previous mysteries in the series.

This will be the first of two episodes on the first half of STRONG POISON. We do not give away the whodunnit.

Download the episode transcript. (Prepared by Nia Greene)

Shownotes:

  • “Guinness is good for you” – Sayers penned the jingle for this famous advertisement. Learn more about the Guinness zoo ad campaign here.
  • ‘Gaudy Night‘ by Dorothy L. Sayers – this essay was collected in Howard Haycraft’s THE ART OF THE MYSTERY STORY (1946), and can be found online here
  • “Reichenbaching” is a reference to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘The Final Problem’
  • If you or someone you know experiences suicidal thoughts, as Peter Wimsey does, you are not alone–in the US, you can speak to someone at suicidepreventionlifeline.org by calling 1-800-273-8255, or you can reach out via text to www.crisistextline.org by texting ‘home’ to 85258 in the UK, or 686868 in Canada.

Episode 9: THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB, part 3

~ Sharon

In which Charis and Sharon wrap up the discussion of THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB. We finally meet a key suspect and reveal the culprit. We also talk about whether or not art always reflects something about the artist’s psyche. And we cover the unequal care given to traumatized members of different economic classes, Peter “starting to see women as people,” Parker as sidekick vs. policeman, and why Peter turns certain criminals in to the law and offers others a different ending. We also talk about all our many favorite lines from THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB!

This episode gives away the whodunnit.

Download the episode transcript (prepared by Melanie Sliker)

Shownotes:

  • We have a long digression about Vladimir Nabokov’s LOLITA in our discussion of Ann Dorland’s portraiture.
  • Peter makes a joke about the circles of hell that he and Parker might inhabit, riffing on Dante’s DIVINE COMEDY.
  • “I’m just trying to be a minor government official”–we find the allusion to Pontius Pilate quite amusing.

Episode 8: THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB, part 2

~ Sharon

In this second of three episodes on THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB, Charis and Sharon run through the events of chapters 8 through 16. We continue to explore the similarities between this book and the themes we talked about in our two earlier episodes on UNNATURAL DEATH. We also discuss our glimpse into Parker at work, alternative sidekicks for Peter, and the introduction of Marjorie Phelps.

This episode does not give away the whodunnit. For our first episode on THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB, listen here.

Download the episode transcript (prepared by Melanie Sliker)

Shownotes:

  • “So as long as you’re familiar with Mr. Dickens’ massive canon,” you too would note the copy of OLIVER TWIST in the Club’s library.
  • For more on the Armistice Day poppy, see this article.

Episode 7: THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB, part 1

~ Sharon

In which Charis and Sharon dive in to the first third of THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB, the fourth Lord Peter Wimsey mystery! Join us as we talk about the book’s portrayal of generational reactions to World War I, the effect of the war on different temperaments, and unhappy marriages in the wake of the war. We also cover the many similarities between this book and UNNATURAL DEATH, insights into how Peter organizes his cases, and how Chris Evans wears really excellent sweaters in Rian Johnson’s KNIVES OUT.

This episode covers up through chapter 7 and does not spoil the whodunnit.

Download the episode transcript (prepared by Melanie Sliker)

Shownotes:

  • “This is a one-sided rivalry.” Charis sent Sharon a truly wonderful holiday card:
    A picture of Charis's holiday card, which features Charis in four panel pictures embracing balloon letters that spell out "Noel" in various poses
  • Sharon doesn’t mean to keep referencing BLEAK HOUSE, but she can’t help but think of its Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce subplot whenever she comes across an inheritance plot.
  • Sharon also brings up Paul Fussell’s THE GREAT WAR AND MODERN MEMORY again to describe the ways that World War I informed the literary Modernist movement.
  • We mention L.M. Montgomery’s RILLA OF INGLESIDE in our discussion about how the novel portrays different dispositions reacting differently to WWI.
  • Read this Buzzfeed article for more about the #ThanksforTyping meme.
  • The anecdote about Queen Elizabeth II’s dresser breaking in her shoes comes from THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN by Angela Kelly.
  • Thanks to @epaulettes on Twitter for reminding us about Rian Johnson’s KNIVES OUT as a Golden Age-esque mystery with 21st century sensibilities on race and class! (After we struggled to name one in our listener Q&A episode.)
  • Here is Sharon’s funny cover of THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB, with the note about Mobil Oil Corporation sponsoring the Masterpiece Theatre presentation:
    A cover version of The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club with Sir Ian Carmichael on the cover and the note that the Masterpiece Theatre Presentation is sponsored by the Mobil Oil Corp

Episode 6.5: “The Locked Room” and Listener Q+A

~ Sharon

In this holiday episode, Charis and Sharon discuss “The Locked Room,” a Lord Peter short story that was just published for the first time in 2019. It appeared in BODIES FROM THE LIBRARY 2, edited by Tony Medawar. Special thanks to Tony Medawar and to Laura Schmidt, archivist at the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College, for speaking with us about the background for anthology collection and the story manuscript respectively!

We also wrap up loose ends from our conversations about UNNATURAL DEATH by revisiting our talk about the racism in the book, quoting our favorite lines, and talking about the novel’s original US title. And we ring out the year by answering some questions submitted by our listeners!

Note: If you would like to remain completely unspoiled for “The Locked Room,” our discussion of the story starts at minute 19 and ends at 49:13.

Download the episode 6.5 transcript (prepared by Melanie Sliker)

The podcast logo of Sharon and Charis holding books, with Santa hats on their heads and the words "Happy Holidays!" below
(Thank you, Gabi Vicioso, for our special holiday logo!)

Shownotes:

  • This is Sharon’s “very lurid 1960s cover” of UNNATURAL DEATH:
    Picture of a very bright green cover of UNNATURAL DEATH with a dead female body and a small dog on the cover
  • The “lovely new covers” that Charis and Sharon are both slowly collecting are from Hodder & Stoughton.
  • Artist Cathie Bleck illustrated the mass market paperback covers for HarperTorch’s Lord Peter series in the early 2000s. This is her cover for UNNATURAL DEATH:
  • “That doesn’t make sense!” We are still very puzzled by this particular cover:
    A cover of UNNATURAL DEATH with a figure on a bed and blood surrounding her head on the pillow
    (We will also be posting more UNNATURAL DEATH covers on our Instagram!)
  • Here’s the transcript of Charis’s conversation w/ Tony Medawar.
  • We both adore A.S. Byatt’s POSSESSION, wherein the plot is kicked off by a researcher finding an uncatalogued letter in a library archive.
  • Charis brings up the following Sayers’ quote from ARE WOMEN HUMAN? in our discussion: “A man once asked me… how I managed in my books to write such natural conversation between men when they were by themselves. Was I, by any chance, a member of a large, mixed family with a lot of male friends? I replied that, on the contrary, I was an only child and had practically never seen or spoken to any men of my own age till I was about twenty-five. ‘Well,’ said the man, ‘I shouldn’t have expected a woman (meaning me) to have been able to make it so convincing.’ I replied that I had coped with this difficult problem by making my men talk, as far as possible, like ordinary human beings. This aspect of the matter seemed to surprise the other speaker; he said no more, but took it away to chew it over. One of these days it may quite likely occur to him that women, as well as men, when left to themselves, talk very much like human beings also.”
  • In “The Locked Room,” Peter compares Mrs. Deerhurst in his mind to Amelia Sedley from Thackeray’s VANITY FAIR and Cleopatra.
  • In response to a listener question about mysteries that replicate the feel of Christie and Sayers with fewer problematic bits, Sharon and Charis were both a bit stumped. But Sharon does recommend TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG by Connie Willis. We also bring up Garth Nix’s SABRIEL in response to a reader question.