The Bodies From the Library conference at the British Library was a huge success as ever, as well as being
a chance to meet lots of people, buy books, and listen to amazing talks and learn
even more about Golden Age crime fiction….
Kate
Jackson at Cross-Examining Crime has done a great post on the day
Here Bodies
from the Library 2024: A Report – crossexaminingcrime (wordpress.com)
As has Steve Barge at In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
The
Bodies From The Library Conference 2024 – In Search of the Classic Mystery
Novel
… and I
strongly recommend these two posts to get the full lowdown.
I took part
in a discussion with Martin Edwards about the British Library and their classic
crime books, and I also gave a talk about
Fancy
Dressed to Kill: The Costume Party in Golden Age Fiction
I really
enjoyed putting this together, as I have an excellent collection of photos to
use. And I am absolutely delighted that Kate, in the post mentioned above, put
together a wordcloud for my talk – you can look into it to see some titles I
mentioned…
I looked at why the parties were so popular in the 1920s and 1930s, and how crime writers used the possibilities of costume to good effect – disguise, murder, jewel theft. We found out what kind of apaches you find in Paris (no, not Native Americans) and what the most popular costumes were. Answer: from the Commedia dell’Arte – pierrot, pierrette, columbine – and most of all harlequin.
Featured
authors included Agatha Christie (of course), Dorothy L Sayers, Anthony
Berkeley, Anthony Gilbert….
There will,
I’m sure, be more posts on this fascinating topic.
And…. Steve,
mentioned above, is a big fan of Brian Flynn’s Anthony Bathurst books,
and has pointed out that there is a book in that series I should have looked at.
He is so right! So I’m reading the book and will blog on it soon…
Thanks to
everyone at the big day – organizers, attendees and especially those kind people who are fans
of Clothes in Books.
See you all
next year…
I'm so glad it went well, Moira! And you are absolutely the perfect person to give a talk about fancy dress in GA novels. I wish I could've been there.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Margot. We have to get you here one of these years!
DeleteI suspect Harlequin was a less popular costume at real life fancy dress parties than at fictional ones - far too revealing for the average male figure! Pierrot would be a much better bet (I seem to remember Bertie Wooster once claiming that it was the only fancy dress suitable for a gentleman) - plus, ample room to conceal any number of revolvers. Bertie must have changed his mind as he was planning to go to a later party dressed as Sindbad the Sailor, which one would think should be a rather dashing Arabian affair, but it came with a set of luxuriant ginger whiskers which suggests otherwise.
ReplyDeleteSovay
Maybe men are more vain than you think - the history and the photographs suggest there were a lot of them around.
DeleteIn books, pierrot is a good choice because you can easily have a different outfit underneath for a quick change - in one instance actually a harlequin costume. Not possible the other way round...
Someone told me about PGWodehouse after my talk - of course it wouldn't have been a crime story reference, but it would have been fun to have mentioned it! I must check it out
‘Joy in the Morning’ is the Wodehouse with the most fancy dress interest, as far as I remember, including the Sindbad the Sailor costume, a Pierrot - Bertie by this time disdains the Pierrot as lacking in imagination – a football kit and Edward the Confessor.
DeleteThere’s also the memorable evening in ‘Right Ho, Jeeves’ when Bertie returns home to find Jeeves entertaining the Devil (aka Gussie Fink-Nottle dressed up as Mephistopheles).
Sovay
Thanks for the extra detail - I will check those out!
DeleteLord Peter Wimsey dresses as a harlequin to disguise himeslf in Murder Must Advertise. The only silly thing in what is otherwise one of my favourite Wimsey books.
ReplyDeleteLord Peter as harlequin was my first real reference and quote in the talk! And I think we are all agreed that those are the slightly cringe-making bits in what is otherwise a wonderful book.
DeleteI heard Moira's talk on Saturday. It was beautifully illustrated, informative and fun. My grand parents met at one - she was a Dresden shepherdess and he was a Pierrot - fortunately no fatalities. And I met Moira, an added treat. All the speakers were entertaining (even the ones who went off topic).
ReplyDeleteMore time for questions would have been good...
So kind of you Jan, and a pleasure to talk to you.
DeleteFabulous story about your grandparents - these days there'd be photos, but that's too much to expect?
The speakers want to speak, AND they want questions, AND the organizers need to keep them to time. It's a tension!
Wasn't Gussie dressed as a newt? There is one where Bertie attends a party on a yacht in blackface, has to swim ashore and spends the night in the conservatory with Sir Watkyn Bassett, who is sure Bertie is mad. Is this the one in which Jeeves's stand-in, Bingley, burns down a stately home?
ReplyDeleteThis is hilarious! I have read my share of PGW, but never have any idea what happened in which book...
DeleteGussie was definitely Mephistopheles, though newts did enter into the matter - Jeeves' plan is that Gussie will be emboldened (to propose to Madeline Bassett) by a brightly-coloured costume, and Gussie, taking a line through the mating habits of newts, thinks he might be onto something ...
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness. I am so going to have to read these...
DeleteWish I could have been at your talk. My husband and son are always amazed at the number of fancy dress balls and costume parties show up in British TV shows (especially the Poirot episodes.).
ReplyDeleteThank you Tracy. One of the points in my talk was that the balls in crime books DID reflect reality - the 1920s and 30s saw an absolute craze for costume parties in real life.
DeleteGreat talk, very informative and fun. I agree with you about pirate costumes!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, you are so kind. And pirates are the best!
Delete