This is turning out like an interlocking puzzle. To get the full "crossover"-y benefit, before I read To Say Nothing, it would help to read Gaudy Night. But before I read Gaudy Night, it would help to read Strong Poison and Have His Carcasse.

Truly, I'm not going to stop reading To Say Nothing, go read 3 other books (good though they might be), and then come back to To Say Nothing.

And I *totally* realize no one is saying that I *should* or *must* or anything. I'm just amused by it. (And assuming that there's GOT to be *something* that I'd have to read before Strong Poison to get the full benefit of the Peter Wimsey novels. And THEN perhaps a foreign language.... And THEN a cookbook!)

I've often read good things about the Peter Wimsey novels, and one day I might get to them. But now is not the time. If I read Strong Poison, Have His Carcasse, and then Gaudy Night, I'd bet good money that by then I'd completely forget that I was reading them to get back to To Say Nothing.

Thanks, though, folks, for pointing out the links and stuff!

It helps with Gaudy Night if you speak Latin.

t runs away

t but totally not joking

I knew it!!!

t shakes fist (and lexicon) at Dana....

You'll need French if you read Busman's Honeymoon, which comes after Gaudy Night. Sayers assumed her readers were as smart as her.

I don't think it's about smart; I think it's about being educated in the way of her class and time.

I'm pretty fucking smart, but I took Spanish in school

Latin and Oxford traditions, plus French.

They're all wonderful books, but I think there's plenty to enjoy in To Say Nothing of The Dog without them.

eta: Ha! French crosspost.

I'm so confused. I didn't realize To Say Nothing of the Dog required so much prior reading!

I'm thinking I need to go back to school before I attempt to read Sayers.

I'm pretty fucking smart, but I took Spanish in school

Same here. And Sayers is far from the only British author of the slightly older school who tosses in large chunks of untranslated French. I'm always finding it in my research materials, generally when I'm on the bus or in the cafeteria at work and can't page megan or my CP who spent a semester in Paris to enlighten me.

I'm so confused. I didn't realize To Say Nothing of the Dog required so much prior reading!

See, I'm now envisioning this broad-based liberal arts curriculum whose capstone experience is getting to read To Say Nothing of the Dog.