Literary Detectives: Peter Wimsey (created by Dorothy L Sayers)

As detectives in fiction go, Lord Peter Wimsey is unique. He’s an aristocrat, a gentleman-scholar, and a lover of rare books. He’s a literary expert who can quote at will from Catullus, Shakespeare, Donne, Dickens, Lewis Carroll, and a host of others. He’s a fine musician who plays Bach, Scarlatti, and the Beggar’s Opera, among other things. He’s a linguist, who speaks fluent French and German, and a fair amount of Italian. He’s a connoisseur of food and wine, he wears perfectly tailored clothes, and he entertains with panache.

Lord Peter Wimsey is the second son of the Duke of Denver, an Oxford graduate, and a veteran of the first world war. When we’re introduced to him in Whose Body?, the first book in which he appears, he’s on his way to a sale of incunabula…early printed books. This is no idle pursuit. Wimsey has a scholarly approach to the subject, and has an excellent reputation among book dealers.

He’s not conventionally attractive. In Whose Body? Sayers says of his appearance, “His long, amiable face looked as if it had generated spontaneously from his top hat . . .” He has a receding forehead, a long, narrow chin, grey eyes with drooping lids, and sleek, flat, straw-coloured hair. To complete the picture of the typical aristocrat, he wears a monocle. It’s a powerful lens which not only corrects his sight but is also, as he says, “. . . jolly useful when you want to take a good squint at somethin’ and look like a bally fool all the time.” He frequently plays up his silly-ass appearance to deflect suspicion of his true intentions.

Ian Carmichael playing Lord Peter Wimsey in the BBC TV Series that aired from 1972 to 1975.

Wimsey is supported in his investigations by his loyal manservant, Bunter, who is a knowledgeable bibliophile, an excellent photographer, and, according to Lord Peter, a superb brewer of coffee. Another key character who appears in several of the books, is Inspector Parker of Scotland Yard. He’s a friend who appreciates Wimsey’s talent for investigation and works closely with him. He goes on to marry Lord Peter’s sister, Lady Mary Wimsey.

Sayers introduces a love interest for Lord Peter in book five of the series, Strong Poison. Her name is Harriet Vane and she is a writer of detective fiction. When Lord Peter first meets her, she’s on trial for murdering a former lover. She is, of course, innocent, and he takes it upon himself to prove it. Harriet Vane is an independent young woman, who is witty, intelligent, and charming. She appears in four of the novels and helps Lord Peter solve the crime in three of them.

Peter Wimsey is a good detective in that he out-thinks both the police and the criminals. He has acute powers of observation, demonstrated most clearly at the scene of the crime. He does most of his own legwork, although he does leave some of it to his manservant Bunter and Inspector Parker. He solves his cases by deduction, thought, and intuition, but is not above using his wealth and position to take shortcuts. He is able to consult directly with the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and several Chief Constables, whom he knows personally. In Clouds of Witness, he even interrupts the King at dinner in order to speak to the American ambassador, and in The Nine Tailors, he makes a direct approach to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

He's a warm person who has a close relationship with his mother and an easy friendship with Parker. His most important relationship, however, is with Bunter, who was his batman during the war. They have a bond which goes far beyond the master/servant relationship. Wimsey trusts Bunter to go to sales of old books on his behalf, and he accepts Bunter’s selection of reading material and book reviews. Bunter looks out for Wimsey when he has the occasional bout of nerves or depression, a condition which was brought about by the war and asserts itself at crucial times. Bunter has saved Wimsey’s life on more than one occasion, and he is always at his master’s side when he’s needed.

Lord Peter Wimsey was first introduced to the reading public in 1923. He’s still alive and well in the imaginations of his fans. To celebrate the 100th birthday of Lord Peter on November 24th, 1990, a portrait of a 21-year-old Wimsey was presented to Balliol College. On accepting it, the Master of Balliol congratulated the Dorothy L. Sayers Society on its celebration of “Lord Peter Wimsey, a graduate of this college.”

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Sources:

Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Strand Magazine