The Dorothy L. Sayers Podcast

In this episode, we are continuing our conversation with Dr. Brown. We'll be addressing Sayers's essay, "The Other Six Deadly Sins," her play about pride, and also get a recommendation from Dr. Brown about some of Sayers's works that aren't widely published.

Have you heard the phrase Seven Deadly Sins but didn't know what they were? Or would you like to read Sayers' novels at a deeper level? Please join me as I interview Dr. Janice Brown, who gives us an intro into the Seven Deadly Sins and how Sayers wrote them into (or out of) of her novels.

You'd like to read more Sayers but don't know what to choose? This short episode is for you. We'll talk about her different types of work and give a short description of each, along with some recommendations for which of her Peter Wimsey novels to read - and not to read - first.

Lindsey and Selah talk about the influence of that great writer of "literary nonsense," a little bit about Carroll's life itself, and a little bit about the power of a well-placed quotation.

When Sayers tries her hand at satire, the result is a hilarious and head-scratching little volume entitled Even the Parrot. Lindsey and her guest Selah discuss what Sayers was thinking and along the way, wrestle with the nature of satire itself.

"How Free is the Press?" sounds like a pretty bland title, but it was surprisingly hard to find. And its role in the Dorothy L. Sayers legacy turns out to be critical...for India.

In 1951, Sayers wrote a play called The Emperor Constantine. Though it was only performed two times (interrupted by the death of King George VI), it was a hit among "the common man" and the educated. In this episode, Lindsey will talk about what made the play so enjoyable, both for Sayers herself and her audience. And if you've ever imagined what the dialogue between Arius and Athanasius sounded like, there's something in here for you, too.

Are women human? Or are they women? Yes and yes. But is one category treated as more significant than the other? Join us in working through Sayers' speech, entitled "Are Women Human?" and some of her controversial thoughts regarding that topic. 

This completes our three-part series on the afterlife via Sayers, via Dante. Listen to this episode to hear a positive view of Purgatory--even if you don't believe in it yourself--and how we can apply it even now, to our own lives. Also, learn something how some 13th century Florentine siblings got themselves spread throughout Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell.

What is Hell? It's a place, yes. But it's also an attitude. It's when we call something evil when it's actually good. Hell's not just a place where people are tortured. It's a place of hostility toward the whole world and all that is good in it. Take a few minutes and learn more about what Sayers, using Dante, believes hell to be.

Everyone knows Heaven that to describe Heaven as simply a cloud and a harp is childish. But what is it, exactly? Sayers tries to answer that question -- or at least, help us understand how Dante answered that question. In her 1948 lecture, "The Meaning of Heaven and Hell," she gives everyone (regardless of his or her affection for Dante) a different and convicting way to think about the realm of God and His angels. 

Trinities are all around us, according to Sayers's masterpiece, The Mind of the Maker. In this episode, we'll discuss how Sayers shows us that the Trinity isn't a foreign idea, and it's not abracadabra (as Thomas Jefferson says). Rather, the relationship of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is as familiar as the book on your shelf. 

In part 2 of this interview, we get Gina's thoughts on how, or if, we should separate a writer's work from his personal life, as well as her insights on how C.S. Lewis respected women and best practices for our own research. And of course, we learn more about the relationship of Sayers and Lewis themselves. 

Dorothy and Jack is a biography of friendship. Most of us have heard of C.S. Lewis' group of friends called The Inklings, but Lewis enjoyed other significant friendships, including a respectful and jovial connection with Dorothy L. Sayers. In this interview with author Gina Dalfonzo, we hear her elevator pitch for the book, why physical distance in a friendship isn't always a bad thing, and also why we should all be grateful to a man named James Welch.

There are no bad questions, are there? Yes, there probably are. Sayers, Chesterton, and Lewis all have something to say about asking questions that shouldn't be asked. In this episode, we draw from Sayers' Mind of the Maker, Chesterton's "Why I am a Catholic," and Lewis' A Grief Observed in order to train ourselves in the detection of such conversational crimes. 

Maybe you don't care about Sayers or don't like her writing. But the truth is that she has more to offer us than her books. Her life had qualities we can admire, as well as challenges we might share: we've all had to leave early to cook dinner,  though only a few of us have ever kept a pig for slaughter. In this episode, we get more biographical with Sayers as we discuss five reasons why we can learn from her life as well as her work. 

Once you've successfully written murder mysteries, lay theology, radio dramas, and stage dramas, what else is left? Why not try your hand at re-interpreting a treasured western classic? This is what Sayers did toward the end of her life: she fell in love with Dante's Divine Comedy, and her obsession with it led to copious research and, ultimately, a new translation. In this episode, we talk about why she was so darn enthusiastic about this old poet. 

"Dorothy and Dante" concludes Season 1 of the Dorothy L. Sayers Podcast, but stay tuned for Season 2, beginning in January of 2021.

In this episode, we  read a striking scene from Sayers's play, The Just Vengeance. We learn more about how to share each other's burdens, at least according to Sayers and Charles Williams. And we wonder "What is the advantage of willful suffering?"

Sayers had a friend named Charles Williams, who had a theory called Coinherence. This man and his idea figured largely in her later work. In this episode, we learn a bit about Williams and a lot about what Coinherence is, how it works, and, truth be told, how it can help us in our hour of need. On the surface, it's one of those general, pleasant ideas that we all assume is true. But Williams gave it a name and considered it one of the most powerful forces in creation. And Sayers agreed with him.

"For the sole true end of education is simply this: to teach men how to learn for themselves; and whatever instruction fails to do this is effort spent in vain." -DLS, "Lost Tools of Learning."

This episode offers an introduction to Sayers's sometimes strong, sometimes whimsical, sometimes comical views on education. If the phrase "Lost Tools of Learning" is as familiar as mother's milk to you,  you'll particularly enjoy this discussion, if only to understand the context of this foundational essay. If you don't know what the lost tools are, much less how to find them, then this is the episode is also for you.

Sayers once proclaimed, "I have nothing to give you but the Creeds." What did she mean by that? Using her essay, "Creed or Chaos?," we will discuss  what the creeds are--particularly the Nicene and Athanasian Creed--and how Sayers approached them.  Not surprisingly, she felt strongly about them. More surprisingly, she felt strongly that what she felt was not important. 

What are the creeds of the Church? And what have they got to do with Sayers? Or rather, what has she to do with them? In this episode, we discuss her famous article, "Creed or Chaos?" and learn a little church history along the way.

Why do we have jobs? What would it be like if we loved what we produced more than the money that we earn? In this episode, Sayers suggests that to work for money is actually detrimental to society and to the dignity of humans.  What if we could change the world so that we don't serve money, but we serve the work? 

Also in this episode, we respond to a few listener suggestions and comments.

"The Other Six Deadly Sins" and "Why Work?" are two lectures-turned-essays in which Sayers talks about trash, or rubbish. She connects the problem of rusting piles of tin cans  to two problems in man's nature: gluttony and avarice. In doing so, she not only gives us a good lesson, but also teaches us about pre-War and World War II Britain. 

Plus, a brief history of why we keep using her middle initial.

We discuss some of the things that made Sayers such a likable writer. We then encounter some of Sayers's own writing advice, which is helpful for casual or professional writers.  Plus there's a story about a hat, and another about a cat .

The BBC has asked Sayers to write a radio drama on the life of Christ, but the project ignites some drama of its own. It also gives Sayers an opportunity to give her two cents on "Bible Talk."