Feminists who are Lord Peter fans......

[BertrandRussell]

I just noticed this reference to domestic violence in Busman’s Honeymoon.
“"O-o-oh! I do hope he won't be violent."

"Violent?" said Harriet, half amused and half angry. "Oh, I shouldn't think so."

But alarm is infectious...and much-tried men have been known to vent their exasperation upon their[Pg 330] servants. The two women clung together, waiting for the explosion.

"Well," said the distant voice, "all I can say is, Bunter, don't let it happen again.... All right.... Good God, man, you needn't tell me that ...of course you didn't.... We'd better go and view the bodies."

The sounds died away, and the women breathed more freely. The dreadful menace of male violence lifted its shadow from the house”

Aren’t those last two sentences chilling?

The only modern book character I feel is anything like Harriet Vane is Isobel in the Alexander McCall Smith The Sunday philosophy club series.

It's one of the few female characters that also massively think about things, analyse motives and conversations, and refers to books, poets, quotations and ideals in everyday life. Can anyone think of any more?

I actually don't like much of McCall Smith's other works. That weird one about the house was just unreadable. But I like the character of Isobel very much for her parallels with Harriet.

Peter had been smacked by his own parents. Socking people one, physically grabbing them (and of course making them turn white and risk breaking an arm), getting shot in the arm or breaking a collarbone all feature rather heavily in the books.

Plus, it was mid-war again by this point, if I've worked out the dates. I doubt DLS saw a parental 'whipping' as much to get worked up about.

(As an aside - in 1945, my father was caned by the Head on his first day of school, aged 4. I'm not saying that's a good thing.)

DLS didn't bring up her own son, did she? I supect her views on parenting were almost entirely theoretical, and she may have had a different approach if she'd had more direct experience.

Gosh, I am on the final part of Clouds of Witness on YouTube and Mrs Grimthorpe being transported off to stay with the dowager duchess when she arrives in London.

What enlightened thinking! I am super impressed at the absolute lack of blame to the woman, and just complete kindness shown.

But in a weird aside to the pronunciation discussions, the characters pronounce "grimethorpe" as "grimthorpe". Why? It's the name of a Yorkshire village, and the book is set in Yorkshire and grimethorpe is always said with a long first syllable there 🙄

I loved the Edward Petherbridge adaptations, he and Harriet Walter were amazing. Ian Carmichael dressed in the Harlequin outfit was practically laughable. And he didn't look anything like Wimsey in the books, surely?

I much prefer DLS over other mystery writers from that era (from any era really). There's so much more to the stories than the investigation, so much subtext and social detail, meaning they can be read over and over. She treats her readers as intelligent adults, and she's one of the only writers from whom I actually learn new words.

I've just finished episode 1 of Gaudy Night on YouTube, I am enjoying it very much.

I wasn't sure about Peter, Harriet or Bunter at the start but now I've got Harriet and am warming to Peter. I do hate it when directors don't time travel and mind read to see the images in my head before casting

Oh glad to hear it's good Flavia. I have that one bookmarked.

Ah, don't make the mistake I made and start rereading the book while watching the programme! I've swapped to the audio book read by Ian Carmichael on YouTube now instead. I do like the actor who plays Harriet though, she's very good in the role.

I watched Strong Poison at the weekend. Have His Carcase is next.

It's so refreshing - even nowadays - that Harriet can just walk away at the end instead of being grabbed & forced to sink into Peter's arms.

Empress, I think you will like HHC. From the point of view of giving Harriet space and letting her walk away, I love the handling in the adaptation even better than the book

Catkind, I've just finished watching it. And yes I did .

And I've just finished watching Gaudy Night.

"Will you marry me?" "You dear idiot" is not a patch on "Placetne, magistra?" "Placet" and I wish they'd managed to fit St George in but otherwise, loved it.

I think I'll skip the Ian Carmichaels.