Episodes
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Episode 26: THE NINE TAILORS, part 1
In which Charis and Sharon are back to begin discussing THE NINE TAILORS. We cover the first section of the book, the strong sense of place and atmosphere, and puzzle over where this book fits into the Wimsey chronology.
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Episode 25: MURDER MUST ADVERTISE, part 4
In which Charis and Sharon wrap up our discussion of MURDER MUST ADVERTISE with an early reveal of the whodunnit and then our longest conversation yet on the howdunnit, various side quests offered up by the double identity plot, cricket, the novel's sympathy for the murderer, and more! Visit our...
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Episode 24: MURDER MUST ADVERTISE, part 3
In which Charis and Sharon recap the-mystery-thus-far as it appears at approximately the halfway point of the book. We also get (pretty much immediately) sidetracked by a discussion of blackmail in Victorian and Golden Age detective fiction, discuss the character of Dian de Momerie, spend time...
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Episode 23: MURDER MUST ADVERTISE, part 2
In which Charis and Sharon continue our conversation on MURDER MUST ADVERTISE, beginning with a discussion of literary Modernism and why Sharon views this as the most Modernist of the Wimsey novels. We also run through the copy department staff and their merits as coworkers, summarize the Great...
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Episode 22: MURDER MUST ADVERTISE, part1
In which Charis and Sharon begin our conversation on MURDER MUST ADVERTISE and introduce the mysterious goings-on at Pym's Publicity that summon one Death Bredon to investigate. We cover the difference between the "mystery of the mystery" and the "mystery of the text," Dorothy L. Sayers' own work...
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Episode 21: HAVE HIS CARCASE, part 4
In which Charis and Sharon wrap up our discussion (finally!) of HAVE HIS CARCASE. We pick up about halfway through the book with an emotional watershed moment for Peter and Harriet, cover the discovery of the corpse, and give away the whodunnit and howdunnit. Also in this episode: some fond…
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Episode 20: HAVE HIS CARCASE, Part 3
Surprise! Charis and Sharon return at long last to the shores of Wilvercombe to continue our discussion on HAVE HIS CARCASE. We share life updates for both of us, discuss why this book's plot is so impossible to talk about, bring up Raymond Chandler's thoughts on Golden Age detectives, and cover…
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Episode 19: HAVE HIS CARCASE, Part 2
In which Charis and Sharon return (at last!) to Wilvercombe, where Harriet Vane is joined by a familiar monocled face. Their discussion takes them through Chapter 8, including a summation of the evidence gathered so far, mild raptures over witty dialogue and the detective partnership of Peter and...
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Episode 18: 'The Professor's Manuscript'
In which Charis and Sharon take a detour through a Sayers' short story that features a different detective than our eponymous Wimsey: Mr. Montague Egg, traveling salesman representing Messrs. Plummet and Rose. We follow Monty as he notices something amiss about a potential customer he is visiting...
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Episode 17: The Piscatorial Farce of the Stolen Stomach
Surprise! We took an unplanned and unannounced long hiatus from the podcast because [waves hands vaguely at 2020]. Charis and Sharon are now back in the saddle and ready to tackle the rest of HAVE HIS CARCASE. But before we do that, we have a couple special episodes featuring two short stories…
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Episode 16: HAVE HIS CARCASE, part 1
In which Charis and Sharon attempt to begin discussing HAVE HIS CARCASE, the seventh Lord Peter Wimsey mystery. Spoiler alert: they don't get very far. They cover their mutual love of the book's opening paragraph, the practice of the British walking tour, and Harriet Vane's discovery of a corpse....
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Episode 15: FIVE RED HERRINGS, Part 2
In which Charis and Sharon discuss the second half of FIVE RED HERRINGS. We’re joined once again by our friend Angela Hines, who represents the pro-timetables point of view. We reveal the Thing That Was Missing, briefly round up all the suspects, and re-visit our discussion of the Farren marriage...
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Episode 14: FIVE RED HERRINGS, Part 1
In which Charis and Sharon return from their short hiatus to talk about traaaaaiiiiinnnnssss. That's right, this is the first of two episodes on THE FIVE RED HERRINGS! Our friend Angela Hines joins us to represent the pro-timetables point of view. We discuss Sayers' correspondence about the novel...
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Episode 13.5: Neuroscience with Gavrielle Farmer
In this special episode, Sharon spoke with listener Gavrielle Farmer about breakthroughs in neuroscience in the early 20th century, contemporary conversations about brain chemistry and behavior in Sayers' day, the evolving conversation around shellshock between the world wars, and more. Charis…
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Episode 13: STRONG POISON, part 4
In which Charis and Sharon conclude their discussion of STRONG POISON. We follow Miss Climpson as she has an encounter with Spiritualism, Miss Murchison as she snoops, and give away the whodunnit and howdunnit. We also talk about narrative echoes to previous Wimsey mysteries, such as Mrs.…
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Episode 12: STRONG POISON, part 3
In this third of four episodes on STRONG POISON, we start discussing the second half of the book. We talk about the very uncomfortable Christmas Peter spends at Dukes Denver. We also consider detective fiction as "the purest literature we have" and how STRONG POISON marks a turn in Sayers' style....
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Episode 11: STRONG POISON, part 2
In this episode, Charis and Sharon talk about the real-life inspiration for Philip Boyes and what was happening in Sayers' life around the time she wrote STRONG POISON. We also see more of Marjorie Phelps, learn about Harriet's circle of friends, and reflect on Peter's gender performance and...
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Episode 10: STRONG POISON, part 1
In which Charis and Sharon finally (finally!) start discussing STRONG POISON, the fifth Lord Peter Wimsey mystery. We talk about the dramatic introduction of Harriet Vane, our love for the novel's first few chapters, and the theme of the detective's intuition. We also cover Parker's promotion,...
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Episode 9: THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB, part 3
In which Charis and Sharon wrap up the discussion of THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB. We finally meet a key suspect and reveal the culprit. We also talk about whether or not art always reflects something about the artist's psyche. And we cover the unequal care given to traumatized members…
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Episode 8: THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB, part 2
In this second of three episodes on THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB, Charis and Sharon run through the events of chapters 8 through 16. We continue to explore the similarities between this book and the themes we talked about in our two earlier episodes on UNNATURAL DEATH. We also discuss…
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Episode 7: THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB, part 1
In which Charis and Sharon dive in to the first third of THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB, the fourth Lord Peter Wimsey mystery! Join us as we talk about the book's portrayal of generational reactions to World War I, the effect of the war on different temperaments, and unhappy marriages in...
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Episode 6.5: "The Locked Room" and Listener Q+A
In this holiday episode, Charis and Sharon discuss "The Locked Room," a Lord Peter short story that was just published for the first time in 2019. It appeared in BODIES FROM THE LIBRARY 2, edited by Tony Medawar. Special thanks to Tony Medawar and to Laura Schmidt, archivist at the Marion E. Wade...
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Episode 6: UNNATURAL DEATH part 2
In which Charis and Sharon discuss the second half of UNNATURAL DEATH. We reveal the whoddunnit right away and chat about how difficult it is to talk around the culprit when it comes to this book. This episode revisits our conversations on spinsters, lesbianism, and the detective's moral...
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Episode 5: UNNATURAL DEATH, part 1
In which Charis and Sharon discuss UNNATURAL DEATH, the third Lord Peter Wimsey mystery. We talk about how Lord Peter learns of this "crime of crimes," where a murder doesn't seem to have been committed at all. We also cover the issue of "surplus women" in the early 20th century, the prominence…
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Episode 4: CLOUDS OF WITNESS, part 2
In which Charis and Sharon catch up after several life disruptions to discuss the second half of CLOUDS OF WITNESS. We cover the idea of mysteries as "convalescent literature," the novel's treatment of national stereotypes, power imbalances in romantic relationships, and the detective's family...
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Episode 3.5: THE MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY
Welcome to a very special episode of As My Wimsey Takes Me! In this episode, historian Mo Moulton joins us to talk about their new book THE MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY: HOW DOROTHY L. SAYERS AND HER OXFORD CIRCLE REMADE THE WORLD FOR WOMEN. Mo tells us about the amazing individuals who made up the...
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Episode 3: CLOUDS OF WITNESS, part 1
In which Charis and Sharon discuss the first half of CLOUDS OF WITNESS, wherein Peter must defend his brother, the Duke of Denver, after the latter is accused of murdering their sister's fiancé. We cover British vs. American detective fiction traditions and what CLOUDS OF WITNESS owes to the...
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Episode 2: WHOSE BODY?, part 2
In which Charis and Sharon discuss the second half of WHOSE BODY? We cover shellshock, literary Modernism, the novel's experimentation with narrative form, and Sayers' interest in theology, vocation, and social responsibility. Additionally, we reveal the culprit, our favorite lines, and what else...
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Episode 1: WHOSE BODY?, part 1
In which Charis and Sharon discuss WHOSE BODY? as an introduction to the Lord Peter series, the uncomfortable anti-Semitism contained in the book, some biographical details about Sayers' life, and how hideously underpaid Bunter is. (This episode covers up to chapter 7 of the book and does not…
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Episode 0: Introduction
In which Charis and Sharon discuss why we're doing this project, how we were each introduced to Sayers and Lord Peter Wimsey, and how Sharon accidentally ended up with multiple copies of THE FIVE RED HERRINGS. (For shownotes and episode transcripts, please visit asmywimseytakesme.com)