(Untitled)

[colonial_abroad]

Firstly, my sincere apologies for the lateness of this post (it's always the mods, isn't it)  But I hope you enjoy it anyway.  These are two of my favourite chapters!

Chapters: 9&10

Brief synopsis:  In which several things happen which have nothing to do with Saint George.  Sadly.

Comments

[ibmiller]

These are very nice chapters indeed. The little bit of Peter in Rome is very typical.

I think the violence escalates for a structural reason - it's all ramping up to Peter's arrival. Perhaps an in-story-world reason would be the Poltergeist is getting annoyed that no one is telling the press.

When I was reading it the first time, I thought the suspect was one of the dons - so much time is given to suspecting them, and Sayers did a great job concealing any kind of "most obviously guilty, therefore innocent" type of character. Though I find it hilarious that Harriet transparently finds an alibi for the Dean.

[shinyopals]

Oh, Saint George. So ridiculous and yet adorable at the same time. I love the contrast between the letters Peter sends, poor bloke. You can just imagine him receiving Harriet's message and doing the 1930s version of PANICKED FLAILING.

[nineveh_uk]

I'd be interested to know how common that sort of thing was for its day.

Pretty common among his social class, I think, to the extent that in Brideshead Revisited, Charles Ryder's cousin invites him to use a London tailor because they give better credit than the Oxford ones, who are warier, and the local urban legend concerning graduation ceremonies than local tradesmen could prevent graduation where students owed debts to them.

[antisoppist]

Harriet trying to write that letter to Peter is one of my favourite bits. I hope his reply to her caused him just as much effort.

[nineveh_uk]

I hope his reply to her caused him just as much effort.

Considering that Harriet feels "Her consciousness seemed to have become all one exposed nerve-centre, sensitive to the lightest breath of innuendo in her own words", I think Peter ought at least to match that! But possible the super-human effort comes into the next letter, when he has to restrain from howling "Don't have an affair with my nephew!"

[nineveh_uk]

Do you think that Sayers has a clear idea at this point of who we are supposed to suspect of these crimes?

Definitely - there are clues right from the start of the book. I liked Gaudy Night in part, I have to admit, because it was a rare example of a whodunnit when I guessed the perpetrator - and guessed pretty early.

Re. Peter at his most condescending, whereas I'm entirely with Harriet on how absolutely infuriating and insulting it is, I wonder if paradoxically it helps her, in that seeing him be like that to St George makes it something that he isn't just doing to her (though the fact that he evidently has been condescending to Harriet doesn't say much for him to the reader).

I find Peter-Harriet-St. George a fascinating set of relationships, but I glad not to be in any position of responsibility for the latter!

[ibmiller]

Perhaps this is a horrible notion, but I wonder if Harriet had to, so to speak, "grow up" as much as Peter had to. He is 12 years older than she, and went through the War. A great deal of Gaudy Night seems to me not just her acknowledgement of her love for Peter, but her grappling with insecurities - and for some reason, this time through, I'm considering the possibility that they might be immaturities as well.

But that might be bosh.

[nineveh_uk]

I think that Harriet has to move through a process of (and I apologise for the phrase I am about to use) "finding herself" in a similar way to Peter, but I don't really think that in either case they are immaturities (at least as that is usually meant). More like learning to take down the defences they have both built when they find them becoming not just a defence, but a prison.

Re. the war, I know Harriet hasn't been in it (being 10!), but I think her having nonetheless been around and experienced the war is a significant generational marker that puts her on Peter's side rather than Saint-George and Mr Pomfret, even though she is pretty much equidistant in age to both of them.

[antisoppist]

When I first read it, I didn't even notice the perpetrator until the end and had to instantly read it all over again, which was no hardship.

I like Harriet firmly immune and utterly squashing to St George throughout writing the cheques, particularly when he asks whether she gets the quotation habit from Peter.

[mirandarin189]

Re: Dickens, I believe all of Peter's cars are called 'Mrs Merdle', who is a dickens character- so there is some evidence that he likes Dickens. :)