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Shedunnit

Period Style

Shedunnit

Caroline Crampton

Arts, Books

4.9 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 1 May 2019

⏱️ 22 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Murder mysteries: if you believe the clichés, they all happened in the 1920s and 1930s, surrounded by flappers and butlers. But let’s take a second to wonder — why is it that detective fiction is so closely associated with this period style? Find more information about my guest Jacqueline Winspear and the Maisie Dobbs books at her website jacquelinewinspear.com and get links to the books discussed at shedunnitshow.com/periodstyle. Become a member of the Shedunnit book club and get bonus audio, listen to ad free episodes and join a book-loving community at shedunnitshow.com/membership. Books mentioned in order of appearance: —The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie —The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie —Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers —The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham —A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway —Ariel by André Maurois —The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers —Third Girl by Agatha Christie —Halloween Party by Agatha Christie —Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear —The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter. The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice. Sponsor: —The Mystery of Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah, published by HarperCollins. Enter the competition to win a copy by sending an email to competition@audioboom.com. Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/periodstyletranscript. Music by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:28.1

Te's and sees apply. The most recognizable thing about Golden Age detective fiction, more than the murder weapons, the puzzles and all the other trappings of the classic who-done it. the

0:45.0

the puzzles and all the other trappings of the classic who-done it, is the time in which it is set.

0:48.0

That two-decade period between the first and second world wars

0:52.0

has become synonymous with the idea of the murder mystery,

0:55.3

even though such stories were being written before 1920 and continued to appear long after 1940. Plenty of the most famous sloothing characters and tropes have their origins in this time frame.

1:12.0

Sayings that are associated with detective fiction like,

1:15.4

The Butler did it, and The Game is afoot.

1:18.1

Are archaic enough to remind us of the genre's origins

1:21.1

in the 1920s and 30s, as is the inclusion of the fashion, music,

1:25.6

decor and morality of this time that so often resurfaces in comedy sketches and adaptations

1:31.3

as a shorthand for classic crime. But before you don your flap address

1:36.0

and your monocle for your murder mystery party, take a second to wonder.

1:47.0

Why is it that Detective Fiction is so closely associated with this period style? Welcome to She Dunnet. I'm Caroline Crampton. Before we get into today's show properly, a small update, I announced on the last episode that I'd started the She Dunit Book Club as a membership scheme for

2:04.8

listeners who wanted to be more involved in the podcast and support its long-term existence.

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