Robert Kuhn McGregor

The authors combine history, biography, and literary criticism to provide context for The Lord Peter Wimsey novels and map the development of Peter's character. Next time I read the books I will be more aware of current events and social conditions during which they were written. I really enjoyed the analysis of each of the novels, even though they fail to appreciate the wonderfulness of Murder Must Advertise. Very highly recommended to any Wimsey fan. Just make sure you've read the books first, as every novel is reviewed in detail, including who, how, and why.… (más)

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 [b:Gaudy Night|93575|Gaudy Night (Lord Peter Wimsey, #12)|Dorothy L. Sayers|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171257114s/93575.jpg|341789]. 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.… (más)

An excellent take on the world of Lord Peter Wimsey, one which I enjoyed vastly more than [book:Dorothy L. Sayers' Wimsey and Interwar British Society], 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.… (más)