As my whimsy takes me
Lord Peter Wimsey (Peter Death Bredon Wimsey, younger son of the 15th Duke of Denver) is the beloved literary creation of the inimitable Dorothy L. Sayers, one of the first women to receive an Oxford degree.
Wimsey will always be the epitome of pre-war Englishness, if there is such a creature. Polished and kind, possessing that rare blend of natural courtesy, superior self-control, and, as L. Martin described it, "an over-educated intellect." Here we are, then, in the same era as Bertie Wooster, Chariots of Fire... in a word, the "Long Weekend" of the world between the wars. Lord Peter was a man of his times, inextricably so.
(Wimsey Coat of Arms image from www.corkscrew-balloon.com with permission)
posted by Michelle D | 5/13/2006
5 Comments:
Hello, just found your blog on wikipedia. And I'm glad I did! I love the coat of arms, by the way. I've seen another version on some other books, even with a different motto, but I guess you can change the motto with each ducal generation? I just finished CLOUDS OF WITNESS and it has a lot about the Wimsey family, Dukes of Denver and everything. There's a HUGE amount of stuff about the entire line of WImseys (through tot hte 16th duke or something, from the first one!) on wikipedia as well. I think you click on "Duke of Denver." You'd think they were a REAL family-line, with all the details they give you there.
This might sound extremely stupid, but i just read the thing you wrote on the left panel... what's "piffle"??? (really want to know!)
Talking piffle seems to be one of LPW's fun assets... he can quote anybody from antyingh ==has a good store of text in that huge brain of his. Almost just for the love of the words, or the sound of the language or something. Harriet told him once that if someone ever did marry him, it would be for the "fun of hearing him talk piffle."
Thanx for the explanation, I was a bit confused too. Wish there were more pifflers around here, mate!
When they call it "the long weekend", the Roaring 20s seem to be some kind of honeymoon-like existence, but it really wasn't. There were many pitiful happening within those years, although the glitz & glam are always shown. It's a pity really that we always see the 'glory' without the dark shadows beneath it...many pathetic immoralities were very much alive then... excuse me, i digress from the topic of Wimsey! of course, the gentleman is a shining light in spite of his weaknesses, which seems to show he is one of the 'bright young things' of the 20s.
Post a Comment
<< Home