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Conundrums for the Long Week-End: England, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Lord Peter Wimsey
Lord Peter Wimsey -- amateur detective, man of fashion, talented musician, and wealthy intellectual -- is known to legions of readers. His enduring presence and popularity is a tribute to his creator, Dorothy L. Sayers, who brought Lord Peter to life during "the long week-end" between the First and Second World Wars, as British aristocracy began to change, making way for a modern world.In Conundrums for the Long Week-End, Robert McGregor and Ethan Lewis explore how Sayers used her fictional hero to comment on, and come to terms with, the social upheaval of the time: world wars, the crumbling of the privileged aristocracy, the rise of democracy, and the expanding struggle of women for equality. A reflection of the age, Lord Peter's character changed tremendously, mirroring the developing subtleties of his creator's evolving worldview.
Scholars of the Modern Age, fans of the mystery genre, and admirers of Sayer's fiction are sure to appreciate McGregor and Lewis's incisive examination of the literary, social, and historical context of this prized author's most popular work.
Scholars of the Modern Age, fans of the mystery genre, and admirers of Sayer's fiction are sure to appreciate McGregor and Lewis's incisive examination of the literary, social, and historical context of this prized author's most popular work.
258 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 24, 2015
Warning! If you have not yet read the Lord Peter Wimsey novels by Dorothy L. Sayers, then you will not want to read this book before doing so--unless you want the plots spoiled. Robert Kuhn McGregor and Ethan Lewis have no compunction about giving away virtually every clue and unmasking every villain in the novels and (most) short stories of the well-known mystery writer while expounding the Conundrums for the Long Week-End: England, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Lord Peter Wimsey. They assume (rightly, I believe) that anyone plunging into their literary critique will be well-acquainted with the ins and outs of Sayers's works.
MacGregor and Lewis fully examine the plots of the Wimsey novels, tying them firmly to both the events in Britain and the world during the "Long Week-End"--the period between the two World Wars--and to the life of Dorothy L. Sayers. They find themes and events in the fictional life of Lord Peter, and later Harriet, and use them to understand Sayers's views on love, marriage, the evolving place of women, and the social changes which are rapidly shaping Sayers's world. They also reveal how each of the Wimsey novels play upon different mystery conventions--from the thriller to the time-table focused crime to the how-dunnit. Sayers worked hard at her craft and used it consciously to explore her own views as well as to comment on (and sometimes criticize) the methods and conventions of other Golden Age mystery practitioners.
For readers of Sayers's work, there may be little to surprise in the examination of the novels themselves, but the historical groundwork, social critique, and background on Sayers herself is interesting and useful for anyone who wants to understand her work better or see it in a different light.
First posted on my blog . Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
MacGregor and Lewis fully examine the plots of the Wimsey novels, tying them firmly to both the events in Britain and the world during the "Long Week-End"--the period between the two World Wars--and to the life of Dorothy L. Sayers. They find themes and events in the fictional life of Lord Peter, and later Harriet, and use them to understand Sayers's views on love, marriage, the evolving place of women, and the social changes which are rapidly shaping Sayers's world. They also reveal how each of the Wimsey novels play upon different mystery conventions--from the thriller to the time-table focused crime to the how-dunnit. Sayers worked hard at her craft and used it consciously to explore her own views as well as to comment on (and sometimes criticize) the methods and conventions of other Golden Age mystery practitioners.
For readers of Sayers's work, there may be little to surprise in the examination of the novels themselves, but the historical groundwork, social critique, and background on Sayers herself is interesting and useful for anyone who wants to understand her work better or see it in a different light.
First posted on my blog . Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
September 10, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It's a scholarly yet very accessible work which traces the development of Dorothy L Sayers' detective hero Lord Peter Wimsey in the context of English social history of the 1920s and 1930s and Sayers' own life. The authors explore Sayers' use of Lord Peter to comment on issues such as the upheaval in English society caused by World War I, shifts in the class system and the expanding role of women. They relate the development of Lord Peter's character over the course of the eleven novels in which he features to the evolution of Sayers' worldview. The book includes two interesting appendices. The first is a timeline coordinating events of English history, Lord Peter's fictional life and Sayers' actual life. The second is an analysis of the sonnet started by Harriet Vane and completed by Lord Peter in . There's also an extensive bibliography, which provides an excellent jumping-off point for further reading.
This is highly recommended for fans of Sayers' writing. Readers not familiar with the entire Wimsey canon should beware: the plots of the novels are discussed in some detail, so spoilers abound.
August 24, 2019
As a fan of Peter Wimsey mysteries, I found this to be an interesting and helpful read. This book is part historical, one part biographical, and one part literary analysis. The books featuring Peter Wimsey all take place during the Long Weekend between the World Wars: this book fills in the historical timeline of these years in Britain from 1918-1939. It tells the story of the author Dorothy Sayers and how this influenced her characters and the plots of her books. At the same time, it goes through the plots of the novels and details the development of the Peter Wimsey (and Harriet Vane) character(s).
I got so much more out of the books having read this, especially the later books like Gaudy Night that have more complex characterizations and themes. Recommend for any fan of Dorothy L. Sayers!
I got so much more out of the books having read this, especially the later books like Gaudy Night that have more complex characterizations and themes. Recommend for any fan of Dorothy L. Sayers!
April 10, 2023
update 4/10/23: So I read this book thinking I had never read this before... and it turns out I have. Well, it was still fun to read! I always appreciate getting to read thoughts on Sayers and Wimsey and I feel like I have an even better understanding of the historical background that shapes Wimsey now. The authors successfully argue that the creation and development of Peter Wimsey's character and world was framed and defined by the "long week-end" between the world wars and tease out that thesis in engaging chapters that analyze each of the novels.
Also I'm suddenly interested in the history leading up to World War I and the aftermath? Did not see that coming.
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I can't be objective* about this book because I would read ten billion books about the Peter Wimsey books, so this is where I stand. Just send me every book, article, thinkpiece, blog post, etc available and I'll CONSUME IT!!
* except it does not appreciate Murder Must Advertise. We must reject that.
From an end-of-the-century perspective, the fictional history of Peter Wimsey has become emblematic of its time. Unlike practically any other of the famous fictional detectives, Lord Peter Wimsey's career was fully defined by a single epoch. he came to life as the long week-end began in the wake of the Great War; he disappeared as World War II sealed the week-end's close. The era shaped and defined Peter Wimsey's character; he in turn reflected its experiences and its values, at least as Dorothy L. Sayers understood them. (pg. 202)
*cries into my hands for 20 mins* I just love Peter so much.
Also I'm suddenly interested in the history leading up to World War I and the aftermath? Did not see that coming.
-----
I can't be objective* about this book because I would read ten billion books about the Peter Wimsey books, so this is where I stand. Just send me every book, article, thinkpiece, blog post, etc available and I'll CONSUME IT!!
* except it does not appreciate Murder Must Advertise. We must reject that.
From an end-of-the-century perspective, the fictional history of Peter Wimsey has become emblematic of its time. Unlike practically any other of the famous fictional detectives, Lord Peter Wimsey's career was fully defined by a single epoch. he came to life as the long week-end began in the wake of the Great War; he disappeared as World War II sealed the week-end's close. The era shaped and defined Peter Wimsey's character; he in turn reflected its experiences and its values, at least as Dorothy L. Sayers understood them. (pg. 202)
*cries into my hands for 20 mins* I just love Peter so much.
March 15, 2008
An excellent take on the world of Lord Peter Wimsey, one which I enjoyed vastly more than , although they covered some of the same ground. It could be here the emphasis on the chronological aspects of Wimsey's career, and how it corresponded to Sayer's life at the time, rather than the topical analysis seen in Lewis' work. I really did find the biographical bits interesting - although I'm familiar with the a relatively detailed summary of Sayer's life and career, this was very helpful. The exploration of women in this book was extremely well done, particularly the identification of all the "strange" Victorian ladies featuring prominently in the early books, certainly something I hadn't considered. I also thought the treatment of Harriet Vane to be very through, particularly as a follow-up to their previous discussion on modern women.
I do somewhat object to the authors' complete dismissal of the Wimsey short stories: no, they aren't to all the caliber of the full length works, but they are still interesting in and of themselves. However, with that small cavaet, an interesting look at the Wimsey stories as a whole, and the society which inspired them.
I do somewhat object to the authors' complete dismissal of the Wimsey short stories: no, they aren't to all the caliber of the full length works, but they are still interesting in and of themselves. However, with that small cavaet, an interesting look at the Wimsey stories as a whole, and the society which inspired them.
August 11, 2015
A valuable resource for the Sayers fan. The authors do a great job of placing Lord Peter Wimsey in his historical and cultural context, and offer helpful timelines that show how all the books fit together and how they were shaped by outside events. I've been reading the Wimsey books for 20 years and there was a ton of stuff here I didn't know or hadn't thought about (to my shame be it said!). I really appreciated it.
The down side is that the authors are a little inclined to make sweeping literary and historical judgments, which I think are not always accurate. They are REALLY down on the short stories, for example. I will concede that the stories are less substantial than and generally not as good as the novels, but they're entertaining and amusing -- hardly the tedious slog that they're made out to be in this book!
Overall, though, this is a good and useful book. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
The down side is that the authors are a little inclined to make sweeping literary and historical judgments, which I think are not always accurate. They are REALLY down on the short stories, for example. I will concede that the stories are less substantial than and generally not as good as the novels, but they're entertaining and amusing -- hardly the tedious slog that they're made out to be in this book!
Overall, though, this is a good and useful book. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
November 25, 2011
As much as I love the Peter Wimsey series, I've long suspected that the temporal distance between my era and 1920's Britain diluted my understanding and appreciation of Sayers' work. This overview of society between the world wars helped immensely, and was an engaging and accessible read.
July 12, 2013
I carried this book downstairs because I couldn't decide where to shelve it and I decided to put off making the decision by reading it.
I still don't know where to shelve it and am puzzled by the book in general -- I can't imagine who would read it except Peter Wimsey fans; and if you're that much a fan, then you wouldn't need to read it. It's not bad. I just don't know what it gives us that we didn't already have.
Conundrums for the Long Weekend is made up of three strands woven together -- Sayers biography, historical and cultural context, and overviews of each book. Of the three, there is probably most of the latter which is what a devoted fan and thorough reader needs the least.
(I also think they made some mistakes.)
I have this feeling that the authors just really wanted an excuse to talk and write a whole bunch about Peter Wimsey and they threw in the other stuff so they could be vaguely academic.
I still don't know where to shelve it and am puzzled by the book in general -- I can't imagine who would read it except Peter Wimsey fans; and if you're that much a fan, then you wouldn't need to read it. It's not bad. I just don't know what it gives us that we didn't already have.
Conundrums for the Long Weekend is made up of three strands woven together -- Sayers biography, historical and cultural context, and overviews of each book. Of the three, there is probably most of the latter which is what a devoted fan and thorough reader needs the least.
(I also think they made some mistakes.)
I have this feeling that the authors just really wanted an excuse to talk and write a whole bunch about Peter Wimsey and they threw in the other stuff so they could be vaguely academic.
July 10, 2022
An academic yet readable overview of Sayers' Wimsey novels and related works in the context of sociocultural and political history. There are more detailed books on some of these elements -- particularly the details of Sayers' life -- but I enjoyed the way the various threads were woven together without going too deep. I also appreciated the writers not shying away from talking about the books' content, including spoilers, as I find those comments useful reminders of which novel is which. An informative companion to the novels.
Read
November 27, 2023A nice recap of the books, but I prefer the original.
May 8, 2014
This tries to look at Sayers' life and the character arcs of Wimsey and Harriet in the context of the "long weekend"--the period between World War I and World War II. It succeeds but only on the most shallow level. I think the Lit Crit angle was the weakest part of the book. I didn't feel that I gained any insight into the characters or the books, and I'm not an academic. To be fair, I've read the Wimsey books over and over for the last 30+ years, so maybe I've just figured most of it out on my own.
I knew most of the biographical information on Sayers as well, but if someone had just read her books, the biography angle might be something new. The history...that's hard for me to say. I would think that, if you've read the books, you know at least a little bit about the era, particularly WWI because the Great War hovers over the entire series. I'm a bit of a history buff and I knew about the various social changes going on in England at the time, but that might be something new for a casual reader.
And in the end, I think that's why this book didn't work for me. I'm not really the right audience. For someone who'd just read the books and wanted background about the author and how the times affected her and her most famous creation, this would be a good place to start.
I knew most of the biographical information on Sayers as well, but if someone had just read her books, the biography angle might be something new. The history...that's hard for me to say. I would think that, if you've read the books, you know at least a little bit about the era, particularly WWI because the Great War hovers over the entire series. I'm a bit of a history buff and I knew about the various social changes going on in England at the time, but that might be something new for a casual reader.
And in the end, I think that's why this book didn't work for me. I'm not really the right audience. For someone who'd just read the books and wanted background about the author and how the times affected her and her most famous creation, this would be a good place to start.
September 11, 2015
This is a very good book if you have read ALL of the Peter Wimsey stories. It sets Lord Peter in the context of his time (between the wars) and in the context of Dorothy L. Sayers life.
It is NOT a good book to read if you have not read all of the Wimsey stories since virtually all of the plots and surprises are given away.
But if you love these book as I do you, you will understand them more completely having read this volume. I'm ready to read them all over again.
It is NOT a good book to read if you have not read all of the Wimsey stories since virtually all of the plots and surprises are given away.
But if you love these book as I do you, you will understand them more completely having read this volume. I'm ready to read them all over again.
August 1, 2014
Nice lively criticism setting Lord Peter Wimsey into his times. Some very interesting points made about the varing quality of the novels in the series.
August 16, 2014
Not a book that told me anything I didn't already know, being a passionate Wimsey fan and possessed of a deep interest in the inter-war period. But I find it a remarkably soothing book.
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