Gospel in Dorothy L. Sayers: Selections from Her Novels, Plays, Letters, and Essays

(Paperback)

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In this anthology, renowned murder mystery writer Dorothy L. Sayers tackles faith, doubt, human nature, and the most dramatic story ever told. For almost a century, a series of labyrinthine murder mysteries have kept fans turning pages hungrily as Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane discover whodunit, again and again. Detective novel enthusiasts may not know that for almost as many years, Christian thinkers have appreciated the same Dorothy L. Sayers for her acumen as an essayist, playwright, apologist, and preeminent translator of Dante's Divine Comedy. Now, for the first time, an anthology brings together the best of both worlds. The selections uncover the gospel themes woven throughout Sayers's popular fiction as well as her religious plays, correspondence, talks, and essays. Clues dropped throughout her detective stories reveal an attention to matters of faith that underlies all her work. Those who know Sayers from her nonfiction writings may wonder how she could also write popular genre fiction. Sayers, like her friend G. K. Chesterton, found murder mysteries a vehicle to explore the choices characters make between good and evil. Along with C. S. Lewis and the other Inklings, with whom she maintained a lively correspondence, Sayers used her popular fiction to probe deeper questions. She addressed not only matters of guilt and innocence, sin and redemption, but also the cost of war, the role of the conscience, and the place of women in society. None of these themes proved any hindrance to spinning a captivating yarn. Her murder mysteries are more reminiscent of Jane Austen than Arthur Conan Doyle, with all the tense interpersonal exploration of the modern novel.

Reviews

Carole Vanderhoof highlights Sayers' thinking on themes like pride, belief, and envy... With bracing wit, Sayers continues to entertain and challenge.--WORLD Magazine
Scholarly and quietly poetic.... Vanderhoof arranges Sayers' writings in a subtle crescendo, culminating in her commentary on art and Christianity. To an age that views religion--especially Christianity--as irrational and oppressive, Sayers makes a critical case for reassessment.--The Remembered Arts Journal
Sayers' detective stories are still bringing great enjoyment--and the uplifting contact with a brilliant and wise mind--to millions; and those who know her apologetic works have the added advantage of her more explicit thoughts on the faith.... Plough is helping revive those works for a new audience, and by tying them to her fiction, showing that the light of Christ shines through them all.--Mere Orthodoxy
With the growing interest in Sayers studies, this is a timely and helpful volume.--Ethics & Culture
That Sayers was a Christian apologist la C. S. Lewis is made manifest in this generous selection of excerpts from her wide-ranging work....This multifaceted volume is sure to expand Sayers' reputation, not only as a writer but also as a thinker.--Booklist

Author Bio

A renowned British writer best known for her detective stories featuring investigator Lord Peter Wimsey, as well as for her translation of Dante's Divine Comedy, Dorothy L. Sayers was educated at Oxford. She became one of the founding members of the Detection Club - with G. K. Chesterton preceding her as president and Agatha Christie succeeding her. Her most enduring works of fiction include Gaudy Night, Busman's Honeymoon, The Nine Tailors, and Murder Must Advertise. She also wrote book-length essays such as The Mind of the Maker and Creed or Chaos, and several acclaimed plays: The Man Born to Be King, The Zeal of Thy House, and The Just Vengeance. A renowned British writer best known for her detective stories featuring investigator Lord Peter Wimsey, as well as for her translation of Dante's Divine Comedy, Dorothy L. Sayers was educated at Oxford. She became one of the founding members of the Detection Club - with G. K. Chesterton preceding her as president and Agatha Christie succeeding her. Her most enduring works of fiction include Gaudy Night, Busman's Honeymoon, The Nine Tailors, and Murder Must Advertise. She also wrote several acclaimed plays - The Man Born to Be King, The Zeal of Thy House, and The Just Vengeance - and published essays in books such as Creed or Chaos and The Mind of the Maker.