Study Guide-Gaudy Night Taproot Student Mats, Show 1

Taproot Student Mats, Show 1
Study Guide-Gaudy Night
Gaudy Night
A D A
F
R O M
P T E
T H E
D
B Y
N O V
E
Dec 4th 2012
Sherlock Holmes &
the Case of the
Christmas Carol

Feb 5th 2012
Jeeves in Bloom

Apr 2/Apr 24 2013
The Whipping Man
I N S I D E T H I S
I S S U E :
1
The Play in Context:
Oxford Women
2-3
Oxford Vocabulary
4
Read and Discuss
5
Scene from Gaudy Night
6
Behind the Scenes
L
I M
D O R O T H Y
Time Period: 1935
Main Location Shrewsbury College, at
Oxford University in England
May 21st 2013
Bach at Leipzig
Dorothy L. Sayers
B Y
S
O N C E
L .
L L I
S A Y E
R S
must be someone living and working at the
college, so all of the faculty and staff are under
suspicion. Dean Letitia Martin doesn't want to
call the police because the scandal could
seriously harm the reputation of the college.
She asks if Harriet will come back to Oxford
and help solve the mystery.

Plot Synopsis
L
R A N C E
PLOT SUMMARY
STUDENT
MATINEES
COMING
SOON!

F
7
8
Harriet Vane is a well known detective
novelist. Five years ago she was falsely
accused of murdering her lover. It was Lord
Peter Wimsey who solved her case; proving
her innocence and falling in love with her in
the process. Harriet isn’t sure that she wants
to get married, but Lord Peter is both patient
and persistent. He just keeps asking.
Harriet receives a letter from the Dean of her
alma mater, Shrewsbury College in Oxford.
The college is being plagued by vicious
pranks and anonymous letters from a “Poison
Pen.” It looks as though the perpetrator is
dangerously insane. Evidence indicates that it
Harriet interviews the professors and tries her
best to establish which of them are suspects.
While she is there the pranks and threats continue; the library is vandalized and a dummy
with a knife stuck into it is hung in the chapel.
The situation reaches a crisis point when the
vicious letter writing campaign drives one
student to attempt suicide.
At this point Harriet decides to ask Lord Peter
for help. He lends a hand with collecting new
evidence and warns Harriet that she may be
the focus of the Poison Pen’s next attack. True
to his prediction Harriet is attacked, but thanks
to his warning she escapes with minor injuries.
Lord Peter, by this time, has gathered enough
evidence to expose the culprit. The case is
closed, but the mystery of love and marriage is
still a problem that Harriet and Lord Peter
must solve together.
Main Characters
Harriet Vane—a detective novelist
Lord Peter Wimsey—aristocratic gentlemen and famous as an amateur sleuth
Dean Letitia Martin—Head of Shrewsbury College, Oxford
Miss Lydgate—professor at Shrewsbury College
Miss Hillyard—professor at Shrewsbury College
Mrs. Goodwin—professor at Shrewsbury College
Miss de Vine—research fellow at Shrewsbury College
Annie Wilson—Shrewsbury scout, servant class
Carrie—Head scout at Shrewsbury, servant class
Miss Newland—a student at Shrewsbury college
Jerry Wimsey, Viscount Saint-George—Oxford student, Lord Peter’s nephew
Hostess—sophisticated lady who arranges a book reading for Harriet Vane
Lord Oakapple—Chancellor of Oxford University
P a g e
2
G a u d y
N i g h t
T h e P l ay i n C o n t e x t
Somerville= Shrewsbury
Dorothy L. Sayers, the author of Gaudy Night,
was one of the first generation of British
women to be granted an official university
degree from Oxford University.
Shrewsbury College, the setting of Gaudy
Night, is based on Sayers’ own alma mater,
Somerville College, Oxford.
Founded in 1879 as a women’s academy,
Somerville achieved many "firsts" among the
five women's halls in Oxford. The first to
adopt the title of "college"; the first to appoint
its own teaching staff; the first to build its own library. In Oxford legend it soon became known
as the "bluestocking college*". The examination results of Somerville students spectacularly refuted the widespread belief that women were incapable of high academic achievement.
************************************************************************************************
If Shrewsbury College is based on Somerville, then we can give it [and the female scholars in
our play] a similar kind of history. Founded in the late 1800’s; the college began as a single
building providing education for women students. It grew steadily in size and influence, but
was never accepted as part of Oxford University. The women who came as students would
complete similar work as their male counterparts. They might attend lectures given by male
professors in addition to those given by the female dons. They would be tested and graded in
similar ways, but always separate from the University process and never awarded degrees.
Student life and activities were also
kept very much within the College
grounds as female students were
forbidden to join many of the male
university societies and clubs. This
made for a very tight community
and the early Somerville women
were intensely loyal to their own
college. They were also very
conscious about the way that their
behaviour would reflect on the
college reputation. One Somerville
don commented that the women
scholars in Oxford had “many
privileges but no rights”.
S t u d y
G u i d e - G a u dy
P a g e
N i g h t
Oxford Women
*An Oxford proverb c.1930 summarized
four of the women’s college at
Oxford:
“Lady Margaret Hall for Ladies
St Hugh’s for Girls
St Hilda’s for Wenches
Somerville for Women.”
The professors [dons] of Somerville
would have been known as
“bluestockings.” They were often on the
fore front of the campaign for women’s
right, women’s votes and women’s higher
education. During WWI, with so many of
the men called to the front, it was the
dons from the women’s colleges who
stepped in to fill lecture spots and other
duties for the university.
Their admirable performance during these years helped to remove lingering doubts about a
woman’s “fitness” for academia. Oxford degrees were finally awarded to women in 1920.
After 1920, however, the female colleges grew so rapidly that Oxford University was alarmed.
There was a proposal in 1926 to place a maximum limit on the number of students who could be
enrolled at women’s colleges. The debate about this within the university was bitter. It seemed
like the battle for women’s education was being fought all over again. Essentially what was at
stake was the character of Oxford itself. Was it going to be primarily a men’s institution that
allowed some women to be present. Or was it going to be fully co-ed? Much to the dismay of
the female colleges, some male dons who had fully supported giving degrees to women voted in
favour of limiting the number of female students. The proposal limiting enrolment at women’s
colleges in Oxford was passed in 1927.
This proposal was still in effect in 1935. (It would remain in effect until the 1950’s.) It had the
practical effect of ensuring the women’s colleges would be smaller and therefore poorer than the
male colleges. A smaller student enrolment meant less money in tuition fees and a smaller pool
of alumni to approach for donations and endowments. It was also tangible evidence that
women scholars had not yet proven themselves. The history of women’s education at Oxford
provides an important backdrop to the mystery of Gaudy Night. The fear of scandal that runs
as an undercurrent throughout the play is a very real fear. These women are not exaggerating
when they speak about the whole reputation of women’s colleges being damaged by one
“female scholar gone mad.” All of these women have devoted their lives to learning and in
the 1930’s that was still a very controversial lifestyle choice.
Think About It
When Dorothy L. Sayers was a college student women were very much in the minority on college campuses. Is that still the case today? Use your internet search skills to locate statistics on male and female
college enrollment in the US. Then research the female generations in your own family history. What
kinds of schools did your mother or your aunts attend? What about your grandmothers or your
great-aunts? (Note: Not all education happens in schools. What skills could women in the early 1900s
learn outside of school?)
3
P a g e
4
G a u d y
N i g h t
O x fo r d Vo c a b u l a ry
Chancellor, Lord Oakapple
The Chancellor is the senior officer of Oxford University. The role of the Chancellor is to
provide strategic direction and leadership to the collegiate University.
Dean Letitia Martin
The Dean of a college is in charge of discipline, and with enforcing college rules and security.
The Dean is responsible for managing emergency situations and for maintaining student safety.
Gaudy Night
At the University of Oxford a gaudy is a college feast. It is often a reunion for its old members
(i.e., alumni). The origin of the term may be connected to the traditional student anthem,
Gaudeamus.
Oxford Dons/Tutors
An Oxford don is equivalent to an American university professor. At Oxford University
students are taught in the tutorial system. This means that students meet with a don in groups
of one to three on a weekly basis to discuss essays and assignments.
Oxford Research Fellow
A research fellow is a member of the faculty who is focussing solely on research for a specific
project. S/he would not be responsible for teaching students.
Placet-ne Magistrae?/Placet
A ceremonial Latin phrase used at Oxford University. The phrase is translated. "Does it please
[thee], Mistresses?"/ "It pleases."
Porter
The Porter’s Lodge is located at the gate of the college. A porter is employed by the college to
watch the gate and make sure the college is secure and that students/visitors return by curfew.
Punt
A boat that is steered using a long pole (rather than by oars or paddles).
SCR
Senior Common Room - this refers to the faculty, staff and fellows of the college. It can also refer to the room where these people spend time. The SCR is similar to a teacher’s lounge.
Scout
An Oxford term for the servants who clean the college and serve meals to the students and staff.
S t u d y
G u i d e - G a u dy
N i g h t
P a g e
I n s i d e
S t o r y
H e a d l i n e
Read and Discuss
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women’s jobs away from them. They don’t force their way into the household and turn women out of
their rightful occupations.” Of course they do not. They have done it already…
Let us return to the Middle Ages and ask what we [women] should get in return for certain political
and educational privileges which we should have to abandon. It is a formidable list of jobs: the
whole of the spinning industry, the whole of the dyeing industry, the whole of the weaving industry.
The whole catering industry and...the whole of the nation’s brewing and distilling. All the
preserving, pickling and bottling industry, all the bacon curing. And ( since in those days a man was
often absent from home for months together on war or business) a very large share in the
management of landed estates. Here are the women’s jobs—and what has become of them? They are
all being handled men. It is all very well to say that woman’s place is in the home—but modern
civilization has taken all these pleasant and profitable activities out of the home, where the women
looked after them, and handed them over to big industry, to be directed and organized by men at the
head of large factories…
It is perfectly idiotic to take away women’s traditional occupations and then complain because she
looks for new ones. Every woman is a human being—one cannot repeat that too often—and a human
being must have occupation, if he or she is not to become a nuisance to the world...If any individual
woman is able to make a first-class lawyer, doctor, architect, or engineer, then she must be allowed to
try her hand at it. Once lay down the rule that the job comes first and you throw that job open to every
individual, man or woman, fat or thin, tall or short, ugly or beautiful, who is able to do that job better
than the rest of the world.“
“Are Woman Human?” Address Given to a Women’s Society, 1938 by Dorothy L. Sayers
Think About It
This speech by Dorothy L. Sayers contains many of the same themes as the play Gaudy Night. Are there
parts of this speech that sound old fashioned? Is Sayers arguing for rights that women take for granted
now? What parts of this speech are still relevant to feminist discussions today?
5
P a g e
6
G a u d y
N i g h t
Scene from Gaudy Night
HARRIET:
Miss de Vine, do you ever wonder if it’s natural for women to live a life of the
mind? Of the mind only, without emotional attachments?
MISS DE VINE:
I have found it simpler to live one kind of life and live it well than to try to live
two lives simultaneously. I don’t think it’s only women who find it difficult to
combine intellectual and emotional interests. But when men put their public
lives before their private lives it causes less outcry than when a woman does it.
HARRIET:
But suppose one doesn’t quite know which one wants to put first. Suppose one is
cursed with both a heart and a brain?
MISS DE VINE:
You can usually tell by seeing what you can’t lie about. You’d lie cheerfully
about anything except…what?
HARRIET:
Oh, except saying that somebody’s beastly book is good when it isn’t.
I can’t do that.
MISS DE VINE:
No, one can’t. There’s always one thing one has to deal with sincerely, even if it
causes pain. Miss Lydgate, for example. She’s the kindest soul in the world, but
he hasn’t the slightest mercy on the prosodical theories of Mr. Elkbottom, for
example. She wouldn’t countenance those to save Mr. Elkbottom from hanging.
If she actually saw Mr. Elkbottom writhing in humiliation, she’d be sorry, but
she wouldn’t alter a paragraph. She couldn’t. One can’t be pitiful where one’s
own job is concerned. Of course, one’s job may be an emotional thing, I don’t say
it mayn’t. One may commit all the sins in the calendar and still be faithful and
honest to one person. If so, then that person is probably one’s appointed job. I’m
not despising that kind of loyalty; it doesn’t happen to be mine, that is all.
HARRIET:
I suppose one oughtn’t to marry anybody unless one’s prepared to make him a
full-time job.
MISS DE VINE:
Probably not.
Think About It
Notice that both Harriet and Miss de Vine assume that a woman must choose between a career or a family. This was the usual choice in 1935. As a scholar, Miss de Vine has chosen the “life of the mind, without emotional attachments.” Harriet wonders if she must also make that choice.
1.
2.
3.
4.
In our culture were two income families are the norm, do men and women still struggle to reconcile
“public lives vs. private lives”?
Are there different challenges in balancing family and career for men than for women?
Do you agree with Miss de Vine’s statements about being true to one’s own job?
What are the things in your life that you find too important to lie about?
S t u d y
G u i d e - G a u dy
N i g h t
P a g e
D o ro t h y L . S ay e rs
Dorothy Leigh Sayers was born at Oxford on 13th June 1893, the only
child of the Rev. Henry Sayers, the headmaster of Christ Church
Cathedral School. An exceptionally bright student, she won a
scholarship to Somerville College, Oxford and graduated in 1915 with
first class honors in modern languages.
After an unhappy love affair that resulted in an illegitimate child, she
married Arthur Fleming in 1926. Fearing the results of scandal,
Sayers’ never publically acknowledged her son during her lifetime.
He was legally adopted as a “Fleming” but was fostered at a friend’s
house due to her husband’s reluctance to raise another man’s child.
In 1923 Sayers' published her first novel, Whose Body, which
introduced Lord Peter Wimsey, her hero for fourteen volumes of
novels and short stories. . Writing full time she rose to be the doyen of crime writers and in due
course president of the Detection Club. Gaudy Night was to be the culmination of the Wimsey saga,
but her friend Muriel St Clare Byrne persuaded her to collaborate in putting Lord Peter on the stage
in Busman's Honeymoon. The play was successfully launched in December 1936, and she gave up
crime writing except for the book of the play and three short stories.
The stage had always fascinated Sayers. Her play, The Zeal of Thy House, was a success at the Canterbury Festival. She followed this with six more plays, including an momentous radio drama, The
Man Born to be King, written at the request of the BBC. In The Man Born to be King her
presentation of Christ's voice speaking modern English raised a storm of protest and revolutionised
religious play-writing.
Sayers’ welcomed religious debate and wrote many articles enthusiastically defending her art and
her theology. The events of WWII led her to write Begin Here, followed by The Mind of the Maker, in
which she compares the human with the Divine creator. She explored by-ways of knowledge,
delighted in puzzles and enjoyed many a [literary] fight which she conducted with wit and good
humour. She found her culminating role after the war. Dante's writings had long intrigued her.
Now she taught herself old Italian and made a translation in “terza rima” of The Divine
Comedy unmatched for its popularity and the clarity of its notes.
Sayers died from heart failure on 17 December 1957. To the end she drove herself hard, living the
philosophy she expressed in the words that were carved as her epitat: "The only Christian work is
good work, well done."
[http://www.sayers.org.uk/dorothy.html]
Think About It
Literary critics agree that Dorothy L. Sayers based the character of Harriet Vane on her own life. What
similarities between the real detective writer and the fictional detective writer can you identify? For more
information about Harriet Vane including information found in other Sayers’ books visit this website:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Vane
7
Behind The
Scenes
What To Watch For:
Set designer, Mark Lund has created a set that invokes the aging beauty of an Oxford College
campus. The plot of Gaudy Night, however, moves through several locations; different buildings,
different rooms, inside, outside, on the streets, in a punt on the river etc. Some of the scenes are not
even real locations, but dreams or ideas taking place in Harriet Vane’s mind. In a small theatre
space it is impossible to create different sets for all these places, BUT our lightning designer,
Roberta Russell can use changes in the stage lights to indicate different locations.
As you watch the show notice when and how the lights change on stage. What lighting is used
for outdoor vs. indoor locations, daytime vs. nighttime scenes, dream sequences vs. real life etc?
How are rooms “created” by lights? And how does the lighting designer affect the mood of the
play?