Lord Peter Wimsey

Full name Peter Death Bredon Wimsey. Protagonist of Dorothy L. Sayers's works of detective fiction. Lord Peter solves murder cases assisted by his loyal manservant Mervyn Bunter. Wimsey is shell-shocked after having served in the First World War and he has flashbacks while he solves the cases.

Lord Peter Wimsey is the 2nd son of the duke of Denver and is therefore part of the upper-class establishment, as are other detectives in the British school of Golden Age fiction. Lord Peter has many facets. He graduated from University of Oxford and is a man of wit and charm and a gentleman-scholar. He also loves rare books and is known for his verbal playfulness. Lord Peter is supported by private income and therefore he can afford to be a professional detective and an amateur at the same time. While solving a case, he works closely with Inspector Parker from Scotland Yard. It is one of his character traits that he has a feeling of self-disgust when he believes that he has solved a case. Before that happens it seems to be a necessity for him to solve it. In contrast to other detectives of the Golden Age, Lord Peter undergoes a marked transition throughout the novels. He does not lack a certain depth of character, like many other detectives, and his experiences promote changes in and development of his character. Lord Peter remains a bachelor until he meets Harriet Vane in Strong Poison. She is a writer of mystery books and Lord Peter has to clear her of a murder charge before he can start to court her.

There were several attempts to detect the origin of Lord Peter Wimsey by identifying him with friends of Sayers. But there are also enough arguments to claim that the origin of Lord Peter Wimsey can be seen in the novel Trent’s Last Case by E.C. Bentley. Although the two detectives differ in many aspects, there are also several parallels between Lord Peter and Philip Trent. Their style and method as detectives are similar and Trent also has this feeling of self-disgust, which Lord Peter has after having solved a case.

Literature:

Lord Peter Wimsey, Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 16 Jan. 2012. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1408805/Lord-Peter-Wimsey>.

Reynolds, Barbara, The origin of Lord Peter Wimsey, The Times Literary Supplement 3919 (1977): 492.

Scaggs, John, Crime Fiction, London: Routledge 2005.