Strong Poison - 9-12

[shinyopals]

Strong Poison - chapters 9-12

WHERE WE LEFT OFF: THE POLICE HAVE FOUND SOMETHING making Peter dance and his ex-girlfriend mope. What a professional and unbiased detective he is in this case.

Summary

Bunter: Good day, ladies.
Mrs Pettican (cook) and Hannah Westlock (maid): ♥ ♥ ♥ Crumpets?
Me: BUNTER ♥ ♥ ♥ :D
Bunter: I can also cook. Now, let’s

Comments

[rosa_acicularis]

He says he “got round Lady Levy by sayin’ I had served nearly seven years for Rachel - that was rather smart, don’t you think?” The context of the conversation makes me think this is some reference to something Jewish but... yeah... I haven’t the foggiest what he’s on about.

There are any number of references I don't get when I read these books (nosebag for one, so thanks for that!) but this one I've got cold.

Rachel was the wife of Jacob, one of the three Biblical Patriarchs. "Old Laban" was her father, and when Jacob fell in love with Rachel, he worked for Laban for seven years to earn the right to marry her.

And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her. Genesis 29:20

Oh, Freddy. ;)

[shinyopals]

Awwww... Freddy. Adorable! :D

Since Freddy was after Rachel in Whose Body?, is this supposed to be a seven-years-since-then thing? As well as a proving-he-has-read-the-Old-Testament, I'm guessing. Bless.

[nineveh_uk]

Lady Levy herself we know would have been raised a Christian (personally, I doubt she'd have converted, but she might have), and both she and Freddy would know basic Old Testament stories from school (even I do, and I went to ye bog-standard suburban primary). But it is rare example of Freddy being really quite clever to come up with the reference.

And it is indeed a little more than seven years since WB/

[mrv3000]

Mrs B also states she was worried that Boyes’s powder might be “snow”. What sort of drug is that?

Cocaine?

And I imagine Peter wasn't the norm for the day and age. Harriet doesn't seem strictly tied to class sometimes as well. I wonder if Sayers was going for an idea that since these two people where educated and enlightened, they weren't tied to the "old ways." While they do meet constant resistance in the books for their unorthodox ways, it's meant to be seen as a positive thing.

He says he “got round Lady Levy by sayin’ I had served nearly seven years for Rachel - that was rather smart, don’t you think?”

It's a Bible story involving waiting seven years for a woman, getting tricked and waiting seven more again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel

(ALSO, BUNTER!!!!)

[shinyopals]

Thought it might be cocaine (since that's the big one in Murder Must Advertise, isn't it?) but I wasn't sure.

I imagine that's part of why it was at Oxford (as well as with the use of the Placetne Magistra? proposal) that helps Harriet overcome her fears. Admittedly her fears are (mostly) not based in class, but the idea of spending her marriage eternally grateful is similar in that it would create a pairing based on inequality.

BUNTER IS MY FAVOURITE. I very nearly wrote him a love letter. Possibly I should not be allowed to summarise things with Bunter in them for fear of getting distracted in my fangirling. BUT ALAS, I HAVE NO BUNTER ICON.

[rosaleeluann]

The "served seven years for her" thing was refering to the Old Testament story of Jacob and Rachel.

Very quick summary:

Jacob falls in love with Rachel. Rachels father says Jacob can marry Rachel after he has served seven years for her. Jacob serves seven years, but is tricked into marrying Rachel's older sister, Leah. Jacob serves seven more years in order to marry Rachel. The End.

[rosaleeluann]

And I see that in the time it took me to type this up, two others have answered the same question. Haha.

[shinyopals]

In some places I refresh the page before I post a comment, such is my paranoia. XD

[shinyopals]

Laban sounds like a bit of a douche. And I sort of feel sorry for Leah, too. XD

[shinyopals]

I DO IT BECAUSE I LOVE YOU. ALSO, YOU ARE MORE COHERENT AT 3AM THAN I AM WHEN FULLY AWAKE.

Lol prohibitionists. KEEP WHINING, GUYS.

[shinyopals]

OPAL. I JUST REALIZED HOW MUCH WORK SUMMARIZING THE CHAPTERS OF GAUDY NIGHT WILL BE.

WE'LL DO IT, LIKE, TWO CHAPTERS AT A TIME OR SOMETHING. OR ELSE WE'LL HIT THE LJ POST SIZE LIMIT.

Also, back to something you mentioned in your post: I find myself fascinated by the British class system, and how even some people who rage against it define themselves by it, at least in certain ways.

I think everyone is to some degree defined by it. I mean, take my sister and I. We both have basically the same upbringing but my accent would not sound out of place at one of Peter's dinner parties and sib sounds... well, these days she makes Rose Tyler sound posh. And both of us are extremely keen to keep our accents - her because she doesn't want to sound posh and me because I am quite proud of sounding posh. That's all rooted in class, although neither of us thinks of it like that. It's just how it is.

I also think that the United States does have a class system, though it's generally on a more local/regional basis and not as well defined (and our

[read2day]

Barbara celarent darii ferio baralipton is the mnemonic for the four types of Aristotelian logical arguments.

[read2day]

Five types, even. Too much work to type straight tonight.

[shinyopals]

That... almost makes sense in English. XD

*Runs to wiki*