Tag: podcast

Episode 23: Murder Must Advertise, part 2

~ Charis Ellison

In which Charis and Sharon continue our conversation on MURDER MUST ADVERTISE, beginning with a discussion of literary Modernism and why Sharon views this as the most Modernist of the Wimsey novels. We also run through the copy department staff and their merits as coworkers, summarize the Great Nutrax Row, get a welcome dose of domestic bliss and a glimpse of marital equality during a visit to the Parkers, and touch briefly on Peter’s antics moonlighting as a masked harlequin.

This episode touches on events and revelations through the eleventh chapter, and does not give away the whodunnit.

Shownotes:

  • Sharon refers back to our second episode on Whose Body, which also discusses literary Modernism. She mentions THE GOOD SOLDIER by Ford Madox Ford, and ULYSSES by James Joyce–particularly the episode ‘Aeolus’, which Sharon connects with the end of chapter five in MURDER MUST ADVERTISE. Sharon references THE GREAT WAR AND MODERN MEMORY (Paul Fussell), an influential book of literary criticism. Fussell’s thesis is that the trauma of WWI necessitated the changes in poetic language and narrative representation that gave rise to Modernist forms.
  • In discussing the plethora of minor characters, Sharon refers to Alex Woloch’s THE ONE VS. THE MANY: MINOR CHARACTERS AND THE SPACE OF THE PROTAGONIST IN THE NOVEL
  • Charis paraphrases chapter three of MURDER MUST ADVERTISE, the exact quote being “…if, by the most farfetched stretch of ingenuity, an indecent meaning could be read into a headline, that was the meaning that the great British Public would infallibly read into it…”
  • The lamp that brought the quote to mind:
  • “This is the most Bruce Wayne–” Bruce Wayne is, of course, the billionaire playboy behind the mask of Batman.
  • “What in the Sexton Blake is that, Peter?” Sexton Blake was a popular pulp detective fiction character during the era of Dorothy L. Sayers, and a particular favorite of Peter’s young friend Ginger Joe.

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 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 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: UNNATURAL DEATH, part 2

~ Sharon

In which Charis and Sharon discuss the second half of UNNATURAL DEATH. We reveal the whoddunnit right away and chat about how difficult it is to talk around the culprit when it comes to this book. This episode revisits our conversations on spinsters, lesbianism, and the detective’s moral responsibility in light of later revelations in the book. We also boggle at the over-abundance of murders in this novel and have a lengthy discussion on how to deal with casual racism in the literature we love.

*Content note: UNNATURAL DEATH contains several instances of a racial slur. We do not use the word ourselves in our discussion, but we do talk about its appearance and context in this episode.

Download the episode 6 transcript.

Shownotes:

  • “He for God only, she for God in him”; Miss Climpson’s priest is referencing the unequal relationship between Adam and Eve in Milton’s PARADISE LOST (Book 4, line 297).
  • Charis’s robot vacuum Bunter is adorable and most helpful!
The robot vacuum (labeled "Bunter") that Charis mentions in this episode about UNNATURAL DEATH

Episode 5: UNNATURAL DEATH, part 1

~ Sharon

In which Charis and Sharon discuss UNNATURAL DEATH, the third Lord Peter Wimsey mystery. We talk about how Lord Peter learns of this “crime of crimes,” where a murder doesn’t seem to have been committed at all. We also cover the issue of “surplus women” in the early 20th century, the prominence of spinsters in the book, the introduction of a favorite character, the novel’s portrayal of lesbians, and what happens when the detective’s actions cause an innocent person’s death. We also give a much-needed update about #justiceforBunter!

This episode covers up through chapter 10 of UNNATURAL DEATH and does not reveal the whodunnit.

Download the episode 5 transcript.

Shownotes:

  • To learn more about the public discourse around “surplus women” in the wake of WWI, listen to this excellent SHEDUNNIT podcast episode.
  • Biographical details about Sayers’ life and marriage are taken from DOROTHY L. SAYERS: HER LIFE AND SOUL (Barbara Reynolds)
  • More about Gilbert Frankau, whom Charis suspects DLS and UNNATURAL DEATH of jabbing at in chapter 3.
  • “That greatest of literary spinsters, Miss Bates.” Sharon is referring to a chatty spinster character from Jane Austen’s EMMA. This excellent article describes Miss Bates’ patterns of speech and lays out the narrative purpose her dialogue serves.
  • Correction: An astute listener wrote in to inform us that Miss Climpson is not, in fact, Roman Catholic, but rather Anglo-Catholic, from the branch of Anglicanism that emphasizes the denomination’s Catholic roots rather than its Protestant ones. We apologize for misspeaking!
  • Agatha Christie’s spinster detective, Miss Marple, first appears in “The Tuesday Night Club,” a short story published in 1927.
  • “They’re lesbians, Harold”; we actually slightly misspoke in referring to this meme. (It’s actually “Harold, they’re lesbians.”)
  • This is the Wikipedia article about REGIMENT OF WOMEN, the 1917 novel by Clemence Dane that Miss Climpson mentions in her letter and that Charis brings up in this episode.
  • Charis’ brother mentions “La Carmagnole,” a song associated with the French Revolution, in his reaction to WHOSE BODY? and its depiction of Lord Peter.
  • The comically clumsy sketch of the room set up for the will signing from Sharon’s book:
A very rough sketch of a room with a person in a bed, a mirror, and a screen hiding two witnesses from the eyeline of the person in the bed