Gaudy Night, chapters 13 & 14

[nineveh_uk]

Brief synopsis: In which there is much tension, and Peter arrives at last. We meet the punt.

Comments

[ibmiller]

Poor greedy shark. Can't catch a break.

I thought the popping shirts were quite hilarious, and necessary as a interstice between the intense misery of the Newland case and the intense sexual tension of Peter punting. Never thought about him being a balancing point between heaven and hell - especially since he arrives more in the street, popping out from behind a group of people and lifting up his hat like a British and blond Indiana Jones.

I do wonder about why Miss Shuster Slatt appears again here, twice (in the next couple of chapters) in quick succession. More comedy to soothe the rather savaged breasts?

[nineveh_uk]

I can't say I've ever thought of Peter in the same breath as Indiana Jones, either!

I think Miss SS must be more comedy - I love the way she pops up whenever Harriet is feeling slightly wound up and makes her feel incredibly wound up and want her to die, die, die. It's very human!

[azdak]

In retrospect, I find the punting trip a little ominous, both in terms of Harriet's willingness to submit to traditional gender roles (it's as if Peter admitting that the punter gets all the fun makes it okay that Harriet doesn't, in point of fact, get to punt) and in the conservative attitudes hinted at by "If this was twenty five years ago, I should have said you were going on the river" (it's the part of Harriet that later thinks dreamily "I have married England", the part that will buy in to the aristocracy and defend primogeniture and the beating of small children). Peter laying down the law with exquisite insolence is part of this trend towards conservatism - it's funny a scene, and he professes to be embarrassed by the memory, but there's still a strong sense of authorial approval. It's his job to be the custodian of English virtues, and if he let bad-mannered punters and ignorant tourists get away with trampling over those virtues, he would be falling down on the job (I also think his presnece at the University Sermon has more

[antisoppist]

Harriet gets to punt in the next chapter, though with performance anxiety and Peter watching to see if she is doing it properly.

*nods at brilliant analysis of establishment Peter* I admire the way that in just one chapter Sayers manages to convince both us and Harriet that Peter has been a pillar of conservative establishment eligibility and a serious academic brain all along and it's just that we haven't noticed.

[nineveh_uk]

Peter, of course, does not suffer from performance anxiety.

[azdak]

Peter, of course, does not suffer from performance anxiety.

Yet another thing he leaves to Bunter.

[antisoppist]

I don't find the popping shirts funny in themselves but the scene is funny as a hysterical relase from all that ominous tension building up.

I am worried Miss Schuster-Slatt keeps turning up to remind Harriet how Matrimonially Fit Peter is.

[azdak]

By Miss Schuster-Slatt's lights, I suspect Peter is rather too "nervy" to be good genetic material. Happily, Harriet has not yet discovered this (I wonder if Peter was ever planning to tell her? Or did he know he could rely on his mother to spill the beans? Perhaps Bunter offered to drop a tactful hint to the Dowager that it would be advisable for Miss Vane to be apprised of the situation prior to the forthcoming nuptials, especially in the light of her indicated preference for the traditional wording of the marriage vows).

[nineveh_uk]

I think Peter's hoping that marriage to Harriet will mean all trouble over, everlasting bliss, so no need to mention that embarrassing little problem as it isn't going to exist. And if he needs a bit more self-deluding self-justification he says that anyway she already knows about it after the MMA incident (which he didn't explain about), so it isn't like he's just springing something rather major on her without warning and expecting her to just deal with it, honest.

I'm convinced that Bunter does have a word with the DD, over the cat scratch incident at Denver.

[antisoppist]

I was about to say that you convinced me of that Bunter-DD-Harriet theory.

What is so problematic/fascinating about Busman's Honeymoon is how little they know about each other, particularly Harriet about Peter. Even "I wonder what sort of shot I'm going to make at being decent to you" comes a bit late for second thoughts on Harriet's part.

Peter is hoping Harriet has forgotten all about the MMA incident, which of course only comes out in GN as well. More of Sayers scribbling madly to fill in gaps.

[littlered2]

Is Harriet’s white frock see-through - probably!

I can imagine Peter secretly hoping she'd fall in, just to get it even more transparent. (Also, I completely missed the white dress symbolism, and feel somewhat dense.)

Re. Saint-George's letter, I can imagine that he sensibly didn't go into much detail regarding his encounter with Harriet, and Peter consequently began imagining dire things. But I wouldn't be surprised if he did say something expressing his admiration of her (hopefully not "I got a good look up her skirt while I was picking up her things"), which certainly wouldn't help.

[nineveh_uk]

That's why his subconscious wants her to punt...

I agree that in some respects SG can't win with his letter to Peter re.Harriet. Peter is jealous, so silence is ominous, and polite praise even more so, though I suspect SG couldn't help teasing a bit .