I was not sure I wanted to “Identify myself,” as the phrase goes, with feminism, and that the time for feminism, in the old-fashioned sense of the word, had gone past… an aggressive feminism might do more harm than good.

But then I flipped it open to the beginning of the essay, and she reached through the ages to speak to me, now, as vividly as when she first penned the words in 1938. At first, I was struck by the slenderness of the little book. What was one of my enduring favorites driving at? Caught by the curiosity, I clicked the button and thought no more of it until my copy arrived. I am, sitting here with fingers flying over the keyboard, no less human than my male counterpart sitting behind me enjoying music with his headphones on. What follows are her words in italic block quotes, with my thoughts interspersed. While I was securing an omnibus copy of Busman’s Honeymoon and Gaudy night, and (bliss!) a copy of Lord Peter, I came across a book of essays by herself, and was intrigued by the title. All was not lost, I was reminded that replacement – and further, replacement with a sturdy hardback version – was only a click away. I wanted Gaudy Night for something the other day, and was forlorn when it fell apart in my hands. But as my semi-annual re-readings recurred through decades, the mainly paperback books began to show my love for them in physical ways. In time I had all the stories but one collection, which I had from the library and then gave back (I was a good girl, and ‘losing’ it never crossed my mind). Slowly, over the years, I would find another title as yet unread and add it to my library. I do know that I loved Lord Peter and Harriet Vane almost immediately and Bunter none the less than they. Sayers title, although I suspect I was 14 and had found her through Margery Allingham’s Campion tales. I don’t recall when I read my first Dorothy L. I never cared if the author was male, female, or a complete mystery, I loved characters and stories and mysteries to puzzle out or things to wonder over.

Dorothy l sayers are women human