Sunday, August 23, 2009

Gaudy Night discussion

Dorothy Sayers' romance mysteries -- Strong Poison, Have His Carcase, Gaudy Night, and Busman's Honeymoon -- while delightful, did not engender much discussion. Or maybe we were just not in the mood. Gaudy Night, our main focus, does have plenty of philosophical material in it. The female characters repeatedly discuss the merits of academic life versus marriage. Women of the 1920s and 30s couldn't "have it all." The dons also dissected Harriet's relationship with Lord Peter Wimsey, and debated the aristocracy, while Harriet grappled with these issues on a more personal level. The book does, of course, come to a gratifying conclusion.

The subject of community cropped up again in our thoughts. Characters liken the women's college where the story takes place to a cloister. While the level of commitment a nun makes isn't expected of female academics, the women do study and teach in an enclosure as nearly cut off from society as the abbey of Brede. Outsiders are rare, and visits controlled. Male academics from other Oxford colleges perform services similar to that of the Bishop in House of Brede, offering a "blessing" on a new library.

Next to community life in House of Brede and to "the membership" in Wendell Berry's books, academic life in Gaudy Night pales by comparison. Competition has replaced community. There are friendships (alliances), and if one woman succeeds it helps the college, but the price is fellowship. There's no spiritual bond, no purpose higher than academic acheivement and advancement. Little effort is made to foster grace, compassion, patience, sharing, humility, etc. It's a hollow world.

1 comment:

Heather VanTimmeren said...

Maybe the obvious themes were too similar to other books we'd read, or maybe we just weren't in the mood, like you said. I tend to get so caught up in the story and plot of a mystery novel that I lose sight of the deeper issues for discussion, though I did think the pre-WWII comments and concerns were very interesting from a historical perspective.

I think your assessment of the academy as presented in Gaudy Night is quite accurate, and that's one reason I said I'd take the cloister over the college! (-:

Nice work updating the blog! I don't think I would have had time to do it anytime soon, so I'm glad you did. I'll let you know if I can make it to any meetings - October might be a possibility.