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Subversive: Christ, Culture, and the Shocking Dorothy L. Sayers
Known for her bestselling detective novels, Dorothy L. Sayers lived a fascinating, groundbreaking life as a novelist, feminist, Oxford scholar, and important influence on the spiritual life of C.S. Lewis. This pioneering woman not only forged a literary career for herself but also spoke about faith and culture in revolutionary ways as she addressed the evergreen question of to what extent faith should hold on to tradition and to what extent it should evolve with a changing culture. Thanks to her unmatched wisdom, prophetic tone, and insistent strength, Dorothy Sayers is a voice that we cannot afford to ignore.
Providing a blueprint for bridge-building in contemporary, polarizing contexts, Subversive shows how Sayers used edgy, often hilarious metaphors to ignite new ways to think about Christianity, shocking people into seeing the truth of ancient doctrine in a new light. Urging readers to reassess interpretations of the Bible that impede the cause of Christ, Sayers helps twenty-first-century Christians navigate a society increasingly suspicious of evangelical vocabularies and find new ways to talk and think about faith and culture. Ultimately, she will inspire believers, on both the right and the left, to evaluate how and why their language perpetuates divisive certitude rather than the hopeful humility of faith, and will show us all a better way forward.
Providing a blueprint for bridge-building in contemporary, polarizing contexts, Subversive shows how Sayers used edgy, often hilarious metaphors to ignite new ways to think about Christianity, shocking people into seeing the truth of ancient doctrine in a new light. Urging readers to reassess interpretations of the Bible that impede the cause of Christ, Sayers helps twenty-first-century Christians navigate a society increasingly suspicious of evangelical vocabularies and find new ways to talk and think about faith and culture. Ultimately, she will inspire believers, on both the right and the left, to evaluate how and why their language perpetuates divisive certitude rather than the hopeful humility of faith, and will show us all a better way forward.
267 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 10, 2020
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June 27, 2021
Subversive.
Two stars for the actual book. Adding another star because even with a somewhat mediocre presentation, the genius of Sayers shines through. And also because I'm feeling guilty about how much I want to trash this book.
The fundamental problem: Sayers's writing doesn't subvert Christianity. If anything, this book proves how firmly she upheld fundamental, traditional Christian doctrine.
To be fair, the book really aims for a message like: Christians in Sayers' day criticized her writings because they subverted cultural expectations about Christianity. The problem is, the only real example provided for this claim rests on Christians criticizing Sayers for "modernizing" Scripture in her radio broadcast and not just directly quoting the King's James version.
Now, if the book emphasized how much Sayers's avowal of traditional Christian doctrine subverted secular thought, I think it would hold up better. Christianity is a subversive religion. Sayers held to traditional Christianity. Ergo...But it doesn't. It just keeps hammering on the reactions of Christians of her day.
Downing also tries to draw conclusions about Sayers's writing and apply them to modern day Christians. These analogies feel a little heavy-handed. They aren't as bad as when she tries to illustrate one of Sayers's points with an example from her own life, though. I cringed every time she talked about her own life. It isn't that her reflections don't clarify or add to the argument. They just feel...subpar when compared to the depth of the point being made.
I liked the first few chapters of this book. I didn't know much about Sayers's plays or radio broadcasts and would never have thought to look to them for glimpses into Sayers's theology. Downing does a good job pulling out the richness of those texts.
But as the book went on, it increasingly lost me. In particular, her chapter on The Mind of the Maker disappointed me. Sayers's book by the same name is so rich and challenging and Downing fills that chapter with filler about C.S. Lewis and Tolkien.
I wouldn't totally throw this book out. Like I said, a chapter or two really struck me. And Sayers's theology and snark shines through despite the often lackluster presentation. But this book isn't equal to the challenge of illuminating the many ways Sayers's theology illuminates the truth of Christianity. And in major part, it is because the book insists on emphasizing Sayers's role in contrast to Christianity instead of working within Christianity.
Two stars for the actual book. Adding another star because even with a somewhat mediocre presentation, the genius of Sayers shines through. And also because I'm feeling guilty about how much I want to trash this book.
The fundamental problem: Sayers's writing doesn't subvert Christianity. If anything, this book proves how firmly she upheld fundamental, traditional Christian doctrine.
To be fair, the book really aims for a message like: Christians in Sayers' day criticized her writings because they subverted cultural expectations about Christianity. The problem is, the only real example provided for this claim rests on Christians criticizing Sayers for "modernizing" Scripture in her radio broadcast and not just directly quoting the King's James version.
Now, if the book emphasized how much Sayers's avowal of traditional Christian doctrine subverted secular thought, I think it would hold up better. Christianity is a subversive religion. Sayers held to traditional Christianity. Ergo...But it doesn't. It just keeps hammering on the reactions of Christians of her day.
Downing also tries to draw conclusions about Sayers's writing and apply them to modern day Christians. These analogies feel a little heavy-handed. They aren't as bad as when she tries to illustrate one of Sayers's points with an example from her own life, though. I cringed every time she talked about her own life. It isn't that her reflections don't clarify or add to the argument. They just feel...subpar when compared to the depth of the point being made.
I liked the first few chapters of this book. I didn't know much about Sayers's plays or radio broadcasts and would never have thought to look to them for glimpses into Sayers's theology. Downing does a good job pulling out the richness of those texts.
But as the book went on, it increasingly lost me. In particular, her chapter on The Mind of the Maker disappointed me. Sayers's book by the same name is so rich and challenging and Downing fills that chapter with filler about C.S. Lewis and Tolkien.
I wouldn't totally throw this book out. Like I said, a chapter or two really struck me. And Sayers's theology and snark shines through despite the often lackluster presentation. But this book isn't equal to the challenge of illuminating the many ways Sayers's theology illuminates the truth of Christianity. And in major part, it is because the book insists on emphasizing Sayers's role in contrast to Christianity instead of working within Christianity.
November 28, 2020
I am so grateful to Dr. Downing for presenting Dorothy Sayers to a new generation and providing new perspectives for those who thought they knew Sayers already. I can imagine that from now on, Sayers will increasingly be seen as a full partner with C.S. Lewis in taking Christianity to a skeptical audience in mid-century Britain and 21st Century America and inspiring many to take their faith of origin more seriously as modern, thinking adults. If you're a Christian pastor or leader, this book can give you fresh ideas for Bible study and other teaching moments. I especially appreciate Sayers' call to the historic Nicene and Apostle's creeds, which I think should be used and referenced more in teaching the basics of the faith and calling long-time Christians back to the basics. Downing also provides important tools out of Sayers' plays and novels for helping us see the critical need to embrace newly evolved and adapted expressions of faith and practice in each generation. How subversive!
December 27, 2021
"The people who hanged Christ never, to do them justice, accused Him of being a bore; on the contrary, they thought Him too dynamic to be safe." -Dorothy L. Sayers
When I first picked up Subversive: Christ, Culture, and the Shocking Dorothy L. Sayers, I had little idea what an enjoyable and challenging read it would be. I knew very little about Sayers, other than what I had recently read about her in Francesca Wade’s Square Haunting: Five Writers in London Between the Wars. In that book, Sayers came across as imaginative, passionate, and possessed of an extraordinary intellect coupled with deliciously irreverent humor.
However, other than mentioning that Sayers was a friend of the revered Christian apologist C. S. Lewis, Wade barely touched on her religious beliefs. Thankfully, Crystal Downing explores Dorothy L. Sayers’ inquisitive, expansive and warm-hearted faith in great detail in Subversive, all while paying an equal amount of attention to her intelligence and her astonishing accomplishments in the rarefied atmosphere of mid-century British academia. For Sayers, Christianity was anything but boring, and her Jesus was bold, a destroyer of hypocrisy who was not enslaved to middle-class social mores, and far too dynamic to be safe. To quote Lewis, Sayers’ idea of Jesus was “not a tame lion.”
“God was also a man. And this particular Man, it has never been possible to identify with any social, political, or economic system, or with any moral code. He seems literally all things to all men; to the rebel, a revolutionary; to the lover of political order, the sanction for the tribute paid to Caesar; to the virtuous, the King of virgins; to the pacifist, Prince of Peace; to the warrior, a sword in the earth… to the humanist, perfect man, to the theologian, perfect God; filling all the categories and contained by none; and with all this, a single, recognizable, and complete Personality.”
Already known as both a translator and mystery novelist, Sayers’ unconventional religious beliefs came to widespread public attention when her cycle of twelve radio plays called The Man Born to Be King was performed on the BBC in 1941, at the height of World War II. The plays caused controversy, as Jesus and his disciples did not speak in posh “Queen’s English,” much less in King James Version cadences, but with the colloquialisms of ordinary Englishmen and women. More than a few bishops and priests wailed at her audacity, but the laypeople listening at home loved it, for Christ’s followers were depicted as fallible human beings battling the same insecurities and fears that they struggled with. C. S. Lewis reread the plays every Easter week for the rest of his life.
Sayers’ dedication to accessibility, while not “dumbing down” the more difficult parts of Christian doctrine, is what makes her writing still extremely readable today, and perhaps more needed than ever. We are now living through a period, like WWII-era and postwar England, of widespread turmoil, skepticism, and in many cases, despair, and Downing discusses how Sayers’ vision of Christianity has enormous relevance for our times.
Sayers is not “subversive” in that her grasp of theology and the Christian life is questionable, but it is radical, as Christ was radical as well. Every church that truly follows Christ’s teachings is radical, as is every true believer. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2, NRSV) Sayers’ writing reminds us that in no way is the church supposed to reflect the world—it is supposed to reflect Christ and his teachings.
Sayers thought far too many think of Christianity as a “prim tea party, reserved for a very respectable and spiritually-minded upper class—quite regardless of the fact that Jesus Himself was notorious for the vulgar and shocking company He kept.” Sayers rebelled against exclusionary tendencies within Christian churches in England that often dissuaded grimy, world-battered nonbelievers from approaching.
Unfortunately, many still feel Christian churches are a sort of exclusive club, where only happy, successful individuals or thriving families unburdened by mental health issues or disabilities are welcome. The sinners that make up an imperfect Church are the bride that Christ gave his life up for, and Sayers reiterates this again and again, acknowledging that despite her many accomplishments, she is also a sinner in need of God’s mercy.
Increasingly, churches and their pastors are also aligning themselves with political ideologies, an unholy partnership that can only lead to irrevocable harm. This is nothing new, however, as the politicization of religion was something that Sayers was conscious of many years ago. Downing writes that Sayers asserted that the role of the church “is not to support any system, but to display the eternal standards by which systems are judged… Her vocation, in short, is not to sanction measures, but to sanctify mankind.”
Another valuable discussion in the book is the emphasis Sayers lays on the importance of doctrine, and the importance of believers being intellectually rigorous and circumspect, and highly suspicious where emotionalism is concerned. The humble, sober-minded intellectual rigor that Sayers recommends counteracts the embittered thread of anti-intellectualism that runs through much of evangelicalism today. “I haven’t got a pastoral mind or a passion to convert people,” Sayers wrote about this tendency, “but I hate having my intellect outraged by imbecile ignorance and by the monstrous distortions of fact which the average heathen accepts as being ‘Christianity’ (and from which he most naturally revolts).” Downing further explains that “Though her goal was not to evangelize, she ends up drawing people to faith by appealing to their intellects, not to their emotions.”
Orthodoxy was important to Sayers, and for her it did not mean outdated religious practices or starchy language; orthodoxy was something that could guide believers in their everyday life, and help to discern true faith from blind belief, overheated feelings and personal opinions, aiding in one’s transformation to a Christ-like, loving spirit. Downing puts forth the principles that guided Sayers and her celebration of Christian orthodoxy as follows:
1. Rather than economy of exchange [or any version of religious transactionalism], emphasize God’s gift.
2. Rather than punishment, preach the judgment of consequences.
3. Rather than either/or rhetoric, commit to both/and truth.
4. Rather than cliches, use creative language.
5. Rather than the status quo, encourage the handing over of truth.
6. Rather than certitude, offer the gift of love.
One way that churches have little changed from when Sayers was writing years ago is how little women are utilized in the church, and how little their voices are listened to. Most heroines suggested for Christian girls are ancient Biblical characters, missionaries, martyrs, and Christian singers or the helpmeets of more famous male theologians. There has been a dearth of “thinking women” and writers offered up as role models to young Christian girls.
There have been Christian women actively participating in academia, literature, and theater for the past 100 years, and Sayers represents all three. Sayers knew that one of the most shocking and “subversive” aspects of Christ’s ministry was how he treated women with equality, listening to them and allowing them to interpret Scripture and speak truth. The church will truly be Christ’s bride, when women are valued within it. I will leave you with a particularly marvelous quote from Sayers:
“A prophet and teacher who never nagged at them, never flattered or coaxed or patronized; who never made arch jokes about them… who took their questions and arguments seriously; who never mapped out their sphere for them, never urged them to be feminine or jeered at them for being female… There is no act, no sermon, no parable in the whole Gospel that borrows its pungency from female perversity; nobody could possibly guess from the words and deeds of Jesus that there was anything ‘funny’ about women’s nature.”
(Review originally published by Agape Review https://agapereview.com/2021/10/31/su...)
When I first picked up Subversive: Christ, Culture, and the Shocking Dorothy L. Sayers, I had little idea what an enjoyable and challenging read it would be. I knew very little about Sayers, other than what I had recently read about her in Francesca Wade’s Square Haunting: Five Writers in London Between the Wars. In that book, Sayers came across as imaginative, passionate, and possessed of an extraordinary intellect coupled with deliciously irreverent humor.
However, other than mentioning that Sayers was a friend of the revered Christian apologist C. S. Lewis, Wade barely touched on her religious beliefs. Thankfully, Crystal Downing explores Dorothy L. Sayers’ inquisitive, expansive and warm-hearted faith in great detail in Subversive, all while paying an equal amount of attention to her intelligence and her astonishing accomplishments in the rarefied atmosphere of mid-century British academia. For Sayers, Christianity was anything but boring, and her Jesus was bold, a destroyer of hypocrisy who was not enslaved to middle-class social mores, and far too dynamic to be safe. To quote Lewis, Sayers’ idea of Jesus was “not a tame lion.”
“God was also a man. And this particular Man, it has never been possible to identify with any social, political, or economic system, or with any moral code. He seems literally all things to all men; to the rebel, a revolutionary; to the lover of political order, the sanction for the tribute paid to Caesar; to the virtuous, the King of virgins; to the pacifist, Prince of Peace; to the warrior, a sword in the earth… to the humanist, perfect man, to the theologian, perfect God; filling all the categories and contained by none; and with all this, a single, recognizable, and complete Personality.”
Already known as both a translator and mystery novelist, Sayers’ unconventional religious beliefs came to widespread public attention when her cycle of twelve radio plays called The Man Born to Be King was performed on the BBC in 1941, at the height of World War II. The plays caused controversy, as Jesus and his disciples did not speak in posh “Queen’s English,” much less in King James Version cadences, but with the colloquialisms of ordinary Englishmen and women. More than a few bishops and priests wailed at her audacity, but the laypeople listening at home loved it, for Christ’s followers were depicted as fallible human beings battling the same insecurities and fears that they struggled with. C. S. Lewis reread the plays every Easter week for the rest of his life.
Sayers’ dedication to accessibility, while not “dumbing down” the more difficult parts of Christian doctrine, is what makes her writing still extremely readable today, and perhaps more needed than ever. We are now living through a period, like WWII-era and postwar England, of widespread turmoil, skepticism, and in many cases, despair, and Downing discusses how Sayers’ vision of Christianity has enormous relevance for our times.
Sayers is not “subversive” in that her grasp of theology and the Christian life is questionable, but it is radical, as Christ was radical as well. Every church that truly follows Christ’s teachings is radical, as is every true believer. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2, NRSV) Sayers’ writing reminds us that in no way is the church supposed to reflect the world—it is supposed to reflect Christ and his teachings.
Sayers thought far too many think of Christianity as a “prim tea party, reserved for a very respectable and spiritually-minded upper class—quite regardless of the fact that Jesus Himself was notorious for the vulgar and shocking company He kept.” Sayers rebelled against exclusionary tendencies within Christian churches in England that often dissuaded grimy, world-battered nonbelievers from approaching.
Unfortunately, many still feel Christian churches are a sort of exclusive club, where only happy, successful individuals or thriving families unburdened by mental health issues or disabilities are welcome. The sinners that make up an imperfect Church are the bride that Christ gave his life up for, and Sayers reiterates this again and again, acknowledging that despite her many accomplishments, she is also a sinner in need of God’s mercy.
Increasingly, churches and their pastors are also aligning themselves with political ideologies, an unholy partnership that can only lead to irrevocable harm. This is nothing new, however, as the politicization of religion was something that Sayers was conscious of many years ago. Downing writes that Sayers asserted that the role of the church “is not to support any system, but to display the eternal standards by which systems are judged… Her vocation, in short, is not to sanction measures, but to sanctify mankind.”
Another valuable discussion in the book is the emphasis Sayers lays on the importance of doctrine, and the importance of believers being intellectually rigorous and circumspect, and highly suspicious where emotionalism is concerned. The humble, sober-minded intellectual rigor that Sayers recommends counteracts the embittered thread of anti-intellectualism that runs through much of evangelicalism today. “I haven’t got a pastoral mind or a passion to convert people,” Sayers wrote about this tendency, “but I hate having my intellect outraged by imbecile ignorance and by the monstrous distortions of fact which the average heathen accepts as being ‘Christianity’ (and from which he most naturally revolts).” Downing further explains that “Though her goal was not to evangelize, she ends up drawing people to faith by appealing to their intellects, not to their emotions.”
Orthodoxy was important to Sayers, and for her it did not mean outdated religious practices or starchy language; orthodoxy was something that could guide believers in their everyday life, and help to discern true faith from blind belief, overheated feelings and personal opinions, aiding in one’s transformation to a Christ-like, loving spirit. Downing puts forth the principles that guided Sayers and her celebration of Christian orthodoxy as follows:
1. Rather than economy of exchange [or any version of religious transactionalism], emphasize God’s gift.
2. Rather than punishment, preach the judgment of consequences.
3. Rather than either/or rhetoric, commit to both/and truth.
4. Rather than cliches, use creative language.
5. Rather than the status quo, encourage the handing over of truth.
6. Rather than certitude, offer the gift of love.
One way that churches have little changed from when Sayers was writing years ago is how little women are utilized in the church, and how little their voices are listened to. Most heroines suggested for Christian girls are ancient Biblical characters, missionaries, martyrs, and Christian singers or the helpmeets of more famous male theologians. There has been a dearth of “thinking women” and writers offered up as role models to young Christian girls.
There have been Christian women actively participating in academia, literature, and theater for the past 100 years, and Sayers represents all three. Sayers knew that one of the most shocking and “subversive” aspects of Christ’s ministry was how he treated women with equality, listening to them and allowing them to interpret Scripture and speak truth. The church will truly be Christ’s bride, when women are valued within it. I will leave you with a particularly marvelous quote from Sayers:
“A prophet and teacher who never nagged at them, never flattered or coaxed or patronized; who never made arch jokes about them… who took their questions and arguments seriously; who never mapped out their sphere for them, never urged them to be feminine or jeered at them for being female… There is no act, no sermon, no parable in the whole Gospel that borrows its pungency from female perversity; nobody could possibly guess from the words and deeds of Jesus that there was anything ‘funny’ about women’s nature.”
(Review originally published by Agape Review https://agapereview.com/2021/10/31/su...)
August 24, 2021
This is not a straight-forward biography, but looks at Sayers life in a specific lens. Her attitudes as a writer and how she can to write a series of plays on Christ for the BBC. I does go into her various attitudes and changes towards Christianity and how this developed.
There was a lot in Sayers attitude that reminded me of Flannery O'Connor. The disparagement of bad art for evangelism sake along with being in the service of truth and using language in such a way as Flannery's quote on using "large and startling figures."
Sayers also had a emphasis in her plays regarding the economy of exchange which she saw as so problematic in the lives of Christians and others. This is certainly a true assessment.
So I really enjoyed this. My only quibbles would be regarding Reformation era debates referenced by the author which were inaccurate or common straw mans.
There was a lot in Sayers attitude that reminded me of Flannery O'Connor. The disparagement of bad art for evangelism sake along with being in the service of truth and using language in such a way as Flannery's quote on using "large and startling figures."
Sayers also had a emphasis in her plays regarding the economy of exchange which she saw as so problematic in the lives of Christians and others. This is certainly a true assessment.
So I really enjoyed this. My only quibbles would be regarding Reformation era debates referenced by the author which were inaccurate or common straw mans.
March 9, 2021
Sayers was one of my formative authors; I was so excited to read this book, but Downing made me grumpy. To be fair: she did research her subject and put it in historical context (which is good!) and there were interesting connections.
This book would have benefited from a good editor to help clear out repetition, poorly considered comparisons, and, just, unhelpful contemporary add-ons, including politically charged ideas that hurt her point more than it helped it. They didn’t serve Downing’s work. Downing tended to fall in love with a phrase and use it until it fell over (“both/and”).
There are gems in here, but most of them are Sayers herself, rather than what Downing made of her. Just go read Sayers.
This book would have benefited from a good editor to help clear out repetition, poorly considered comparisons, and, just, unhelpful contemporary add-ons, including politically charged ideas that hurt her point more than it helped it. They didn’t serve Downing’s work. Downing tended to fall in love with a phrase and use it until it fell over (“both/and”).
There are gems in here, but most of them are Sayers herself, rather than what Downing made of her. Just go read Sayers.
August 26, 2022
I’d say this is a pretty decent intro to Dorothy Sayers. Seems like some of the author’s own views on the church, theology, and maybe even politics bleed in a bit, but that’s often hard to avoid altogether.
October 11, 2021
3.5 stars, rounded up.
This book is one part Sayers biography; one part gloss of her work, especially her radio plays, in the context of her day and ours; and one part Christian dogma.
Overall, I think it namedrops Lewis more than necessary (why is he better known, the introduction wonders? In a word: Narnia); overuses the word “subversive,” i.e., to the point of semantic satiation/meaninglessness; and on the whole, I wanted to put it down in favor of picking up the mysteries, essays, letters, and scripts of Sayers herself.
…that all sounds harsher than intended. If one has not read Sayers before, I think this a valuable introduction to her work, and for those more familiar, it reminds us how startling she could be to her audience: useful, given that contemporary readers are somewhere between 60 and 100 years removed from her work.
More specifically, it leaves me curious about The Zeal of Thy House, The Man Born to be King, her translations of Dante, and the first several ecumenical councils.
This book is one part Sayers biography; one part gloss of her work, especially her radio plays, in the context of her day and ours; and one part Christian dogma.
Overall, I think it namedrops Lewis more than necessary (why is he better known, the introduction wonders? In a word: Narnia); overuses the word “subversive,” i.e., to the point of semantic satiation/meaninglessness; and on the whole, I wanted to put it down in favor of picking up the mysteries, essays, letters, and scripts of Sayers herself.
…that all sounds harsher than intended. If one has not read Sayers before, I think this a valuable introduction to her work, and for those more familiar, it reminds us how startling she could be to her audience: useful, given that contemporary readers are somewhere between 60 and 100 years removed from her work.
More specifically, it leaves me curious about The Zeal of Thy House, The Man Born to be King, her translations of Dante, and the first several ecumenical councils.
January 26, 2025
If Goodreads were more precise, I’d give this 3.5 stars. But I bumped it up to 4 because I am a big fan of Crystal Downing. If I could travel back in time, I would have gone to Wheaton and studied at the Wade Center under her direction before she left.
Overall, I enjoy the book and liked getting more of an overview of D.L.S’s life. I added some fun facts from this book to my commonplace book (always exciting).
There was some repetition I got a little tired of—mainly the idea of “wor-shop” as the economy of exchange’s corruption of worship. A BRILLIANT concept, but by the end of that chapter, I felt like we were starting to beat a (freshly) dead horse. Same thing goes for the idea of Sayers being subversive. It is the title, the main thesis of this book, of course, but I caught onto that thread and didn’t need so many signposts pointing me back to the thesis.
Overall, I enjoy the book and liked getting more of an overview of D.L.S’s life. I added some fun facts from this book to my commonplace book (always exciting).
There was some repetition I got a little tired of—mainly the idea of “wor-shop” as the economy of exchange’s corruption of worship. A BRILLIANT concept, but by the end of that chapter, I felt like we were starting to beat a (freshly) dead horse. Same thing goes for the idea of Sayers being subversive. It is the title, the main thesis of this book, of course, but I caught onto that thread and didn’t need so many signposts pointing me back to the thesis.
September 13, 2022
Loved this one very much. Thought provoking, witty, and wise. The only thing I would change is the title which...just doesn't quite capture the contents.
February 8, 2021
Many readers of detective fiction know Dorothy Sayers through her series featuring Lord Peter Wimsey, taking place during the years between the First and Second World Wars. Much of Sayers’ writing, however, dates from World War II and the post war years. She belongs to that group of Christian apologists including C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
Downing’s book came out in 2020. It’s a perfect commentary on Sayers’ work just as many American Christians ponder choices between religion based on politics and one based on Jesus’ teachings. Sayers lived in a time when German Christians were choosing between German nationalism and Christianity.
“The Nazi dogma of Aryan supremacy,” Downing writes, “proves, for Sayers, that ‘dogma matters tremendously.’” Further, comments Downing: “German Christians, caught up in religious fervor for the Fuehrer had supplanted ancient dogma about Christ’s sacrifice for the entire world with political dogmatism: a problem that has marred and scarred Christianity throughout the ages.”
Downing also discusses Sayers rejection of “exchange” Christianity.” That is, one pays ransom to Satan or to God in order to pay for one’s sin. No, she argues, salvation is a free gift from God, given through love. Downing quotes Sayers: “the perfection of God’s act doesn’t depend on us.”
In one of her plays (The Man Born to Be King), she emphasizes the leaders who handed Jesus over to the Romans for crucifixion as believing the ends justified the means. In other words, religious leaders might be cautioned against using political power to advance religious goals.
Whether or not one agrees with all of Sayers’ arguments, I recommend the book to anyone concerned about our current religious and political directions.
Downing’s book came out in 2020. It’s a perfect commentary on Sayers’ work just as many American Christians ponder choices between religion based on politics and one based on Jesus’ teachings. Sayers lived in a time when German Christians were choosing between German nationalism and Christianity.
“The Nazi dogma of Aryan supremacy,” Downing writes, “proves, for Sayers, that ‘dogma matters tremendously.’” Further, comments Downing: “German Christians, caught up in religious fervor for the Fuehrer had supplanted ancient dogma about Christ’s sacrifice for the entire world with political dogmatism: a problem that has marred and scarred Christianity throughout the ages.”
Downing also discusses Sayers rejection of “exchange” Christianity.” That is, one pays ransom to Satan or to God in order to pay for one’s sin. No, she argues, salvation is a free gift from God, given through love. Downing quotes Sayers: “the perfection of God’s act doesn’t depend on us.”
In one of her plays (The Man Born to Be King), she emphasizes the leaders who handed Jesus over to the Romans for crucifixion as believing the ends justified the means. In other words, religious leaders might be cautioned against using political power to advance religious goals.
Whether or not one agrees with all of Sayers’ arguments, I recommend the book to anyone concerned about our current religious and political directions.
January 10, 2024
Summary: An exploration of the thought of Dorothy Sayers.
I picked up Subversive because it was free to me as part of the Audible Plus Catalogue (books that Audible subscribers can borrow without additional cost other than the membership.) I have been slowly working through a couple of books by Sayers a year over the past decade. I have finished all of her Wimsey full novels, and both read and listened to her play cycle, A Man Born to be King. I also read a book about Sayers and CS Lewis' friendship and the lost novel that Jill Patton Walsh finished. I was not new to Dorothy Sayers, but I am also not a scholar of Sayers, so I am a bit wary of being annoyed by this book but without enough academic background to defend my annoyance well.
I think part of the problem is that I came in with inappropriate expectations. I was expecting an exploration of Sayers' ideas but more biography. Subversive is not a biography; it is closer, instead, an attempt to introduce modern readers to Sayers, someone who is fairly unknown but who has exerted much influence. Because I was expecting more biographical details, I am sure my unmet expectations played a role in being annoyed by Subversive.
I kept reading because I learned a lot and wanted to know more about Sayers. Downing introduced me to aspects of Sayers I did not know, and while I thought about putting it down several times, it was short enough and helpful enough to keep listening.
My main complaint is that it felt like Downing was appropriating Sayers. Given Downings' main point, that Sayers was subversively pushing mid-century British Christians to think more clearly about culture and their Christianity and underlying intellectual biases, it feels like I am likely wrong in that perception. But I have come to distrust authors who do not push back against their subject in at least some fashion. This is an uncharitable comparison, but I can't think of a better one. After all of the hype around it, I picked up Eric Metaxas' biography of Wilberforce and hated it. Metaxas was not telling the reader about Wilberforce as much as he was transforming Wilberforce for his own purposes. And then, when Metaxas' biography of Bonhoeffer came out, I may have skipped it, but I was offered a free copy for review, and it had a glowing introduction by Tim Keller. But as is well detailed in The Battle for Bonhoeffer and, to some extent, the Biography of Letters and Papers from Prison, Metaxas did not so much write a biography but a hagiography that appropriated aspects of Bonhoeffer while distorting his actual ideas.
I know enough about Sayers to know that her ideas do not fit nicely in our modern world. Some described her as a proto-feminist, but she also opposed the feminism of her day. She modernized the language of Jesus in her plays about Jesus and opposed using King James English, but she was also very conservative in their approach to orthodoxy. As Downing says, she conceived a baby when she was in her 30s in part because she did not believe that contraception was moral, but her sexual partner didn't believe sex without contraception was licit for them, and he abandoned her because of the baby. While she arranged for him to be raised in an orphanage run by her sister and attempted to adopt him, she did not even disclose his existence to her own parents (or him). She is credited for the rise of the classical school movement, but she opposed the type of nationalism that is increasingly associated with that classical school movement. I know enough about Sayers to know that virtually no modern reader would be comfortable with the range of her opinions, but that range seemed to be missing from the book. Sayers' ideas, as presented here, did not have any of the rough edges that I think are there, and in many ways, this lack of rough edges undercut the idea that Sayers was subversive.
There was also a lot of repetition and repeated themes that got boring. Downing was interested in showing how Sayers believed in "both/and" not just either/or. But there is only so much repetition of that idea before it feels contrived. That is even more the case for her presentation of the "economy of exchange." I can see how Sayers was concerned about how Christians attempt to negotiate with God and seek to follow God to acquire what they want from God. This is, in some ways, a prosperity gospel concept. And there is certainly a misuse of the idea of following God because of what good can come about because of it. But again, the sheer number of times it comes up makes me question whether ideas are being shoehorned into the book. (I searched using Google Books's search inside feature, and it says the phrase "economy of exchange" was used 46 times in the 142 pages available to be searched.)
I am still interested in reading more Sayers. I plan to read Mind of the Maker, the Zeal for thy House (play), and A Presumption of Death (the next Jill Patton Walsh book continuing the Wimsey series) by the end of the year.
Originally published on my blog at https://bookwi.se/subversive/
I picked up Subversive because it was free to me as part of the Audible Plus Catalogue (books that Audible subscribers can borrow without additional cost other than the membership.) I have been slowly working through a couple of books by Sayers a year over the past decade. I have finished all of her Wimsey full novels, and both read and listened to her play cycle, A Man Born to be King. I also read a book about Sayers and CS Lewis' friendship and the lost novel that Jill Patton Walsh finished. I was not new to Dorothy Sayers, but I am also not a scholar of Sayers, so I am a bit wary of being annoyed by this book but without enough academic background to defend my annoyance well.
I think part of the problem is that I came in with inappropriate expectations. I was expecting an exploration of Sayers' ideas but more biography. Subversive is not a biography; it is closer, instead, an attempt to introduce modern readers to Sayers, someone who is fairly unknown but who has exerted much influence. Because I was expecting more biographical details, I am sure my unmet expectations played a role in being annoyed by Subversive.
I kept reading because I learned a lot and wanted to know more about Sayers. Downing introduced me to aspects of Sayers I did not know, and while I thought about putting it down several times, it was short enough and helpful enough to keep listening.
My main complaint is that it felt like Downing was appropriating Sayers. Given Downings' main point, that Sayers was subversively pushing mid-century British Christians to think more clearly about culture and their Christianity and underlying intellectual biases, it feels like I am likely wrong in that perception. But I have come to distrust authors who do not push back against their subject in at least some fashion. This is an uncharitable comparison, but I can't think of a better one. After all of the hype around it, I picked up Eric Metaxas' biography of Wilberforce and hated it. Metaxas was not telling the reader about Wilberforce as much as he was transforming Wilberforce for his own purposes. And then, when Metaxas' biography of Bonhoeffer came out, I may have skipped it, but I was offered a free copy for review, and it had a glowing introduction by Tim Keller. But as is well detailed in The Battle for Bonhoeffer and, to some extent, the Biography of Letters and Papers from Prison, Metaxas did not so much write a biography but a hagiography that appropriated aspects of Bonhoeffer while distorting his actual ideas.
I know enough about Sayers to know that her ideas do not fit nicely in our modern world. Some described her as a proto-feminist, but she also opposed the feminism of her day. She modernized the language of Jesus in her plays about Jesus and opposed using King James English, but she was also very conservative in their approach to orthodoxy. As Downing says, she conceived a baby when she was in her 30s in part because she did not believe that contraception was moral, but her sexual partner didn't believe sex without contraception was licit for them, and he abandoned her because of the baby. While she arranged for him to be raised in an orphanage run by her sister and attempted to adopt him, she did not even disclose his existence to her own parents (or him). She is credited for the rise of the classical school movement, but she opposed the type of nationalism that is increasingly associated with that classical school movement. I know enough about Sayers to know that virtually no modern reader would be comfortable with the range of her opinions, but that range seemed to be missing from the book. Sayers' ideas, as presented here, did not have any of the rough edges that I think are there, and in many ways, this lack of rough edges undercut the idea that Sayers was subversive.
There was also a lot of repetition and repeated themes that got boring. Downing was interested in showing how Sayers believed in "both/and" not just either/or. But there is only so much repetition of that idea before it feels contrived. That is even more the case for her presentation of the "economy of exchange." I can see how Sayers was concerned about how Christians attempt to negotiate with God and seek to follow God to acquire what they want from God. This is, in some ways, a prosperity gospel concept. And there is certainly a misuse of the idea of following God because of what good can come about because of it. But again, the sheer number of times it comes up makes me question whether ideas are being shoehorned into the book. (I searched using Google Books's search inside feature, and it says the phrase "economy of exchange" was used 46 times in the 142 pages available to be searched.)
I am still interested in reading more Sayers. I plan to read Mind of the Maker, the Zeal for thy House (play), and A Presumption of Death (the next Jill Patton Walsh book continuing the Wimsey series) by the end of the year.
Originally published on my blog at https://bookwi.se/subversive/
April 4, 2021
I liked the ideas in this book. But I only gave it 4 stars because at times it was difficult to distinguish Sayers's actual theology from the author's interpretation of Sayers's theology.
I agreed with many of Downing's political observations, however, I was not sure how many observations Sayers would have agreed with.
This is the 2nd book I have read on Sayers's theology, and I like Sayers's idea that our creativity and work reflect the image of God. We are made in the image of God to create because God created. We should use the talents we are given to do our best work.
I also like Sayers's idea that we must resist an "exchange economy". We must not treat God's salvation by grace as if it were an exchange. We should not behave as though we were attempting to pay God back for salvation when his salvation is freely given to us. In the same way, our love should be given freely to others, and not given with the idea of exchange or reward to us in mind.
I agreed with many of Downing's political observations, however, I was not sure how many observations Sayers would have agreed with.
This is the 2nd book I have read on Sayers's theology, and I like Sayers's idea that our creativity and work reflect the image of God. We are made in the image of God to create because God created. We should use the talents we are given to do our best work.
I also like Sayers's idea that we must resist an "exchange economy". We must not treat God's salvation by grace as if it were an exchange. We should not behave as though we were attempting to pay God back for salvation when his salvation is freely given to us. In the same way, our love should be given freely to others, and not given with the idea of exchange or reward to us in mind.
February 7, 2025
[I am so sorry this is so long]
Let me first say I am obsessed with Dorothy and only increasingly so the more and more I learn about her.
I was so close to giving this 5 stars, and then I read the last chapter.
Downing’s chapter on Dorothy and politics read like a privileged anabaptist’s simplistic view of faith and politics. Yes, Jesus cannot be pigeonholed into one of our modern political parties today, I’m sure he would in fact have big critiques for both of them. The naivety comes then from the idea that all values (read political policies) are equal and since Jesus isn’t a D or a R we should just focus on the kingdom of heaven and not get consumed by the politics of our time. As if there’s really no difference between this candidate and the next because the world keeps spinning (especially for the privileged who are insulated enough to not be impacted from most things). Downing even goes on to assert that “one need only access any newsfeed during an election cycle to see the relevance of Baruch’s comments to our own day, when politicians manipulate religious voters by promising prosperity, order, and safety — even though such promises run counter to Christ’s teachings.” ????? They run counter to Christ’s teaching for WHOM?! The Church. There is a huge distinction between experiencing persecution ~because~ of your faith and wishing your neighbor to experience it because of poor (elected) leadership. And this is why we ought to care about politics because elections matter and policies impact people and we should love our neighbor. We should want prosperity, order, and safety for our neighbor.
Apologies for the rant, but nothing gets me more worked up than privileged white Americans lecturing the church about not getting political because election results have never impacted their soft, comfortable, lives.
The second issue I had with the last chapter was Downing’s clear anti-trump agenda concealed under the guise of “nationalism” (how ironic for someone saying politics don’t really matter…). She wasn’t even subtle about it — “Wanting to make Germany great again, Hitler…” Yes this is an actual line in her book. You’re loosing so much credibility in what you’re trying to say by letting your Trump Derangement Syndrome show, the cognitive dissonance is incredible. Or “for many Christians, the efficiency of getting desired results—like, say, a certain kind of judge on the Supreme Court—seems more important than listening to Jesus.” Are you joking?! (1) they’re called Justices, (2) listening to Jesus about what?!?!? Thousands of babies being sacrificed in the womb every year to the god of self and success. I digress…
Anyways, back to nationalism �� yes, Dorothy had much to critique about idolization of your nation, however she was incredibly patriotic and close with the Inklings who were all nationalists. Most notably Chesterton, whom she looked up to and who’s writings she claimed impacted her more than anyone else, said —
“It is false in logic, because Nationalism is a generalisation, as is the nature of any "ism." An Individualist, if there ever was such an animal, does not think that he is the only person who can be an individual. A Collectivist does not think that his cows and acres ought to be collected by an official, and everyone else's left as they are. Nor does a Royalist mean a madman who thinks he is the King of England; nor a Pantheist the other kind of madman who thinks he is all the God there is. All such positions imply an appeal to a general rule; and the Nationalist is only a Nationalist if he appeals to a general rule of Nationalism. Nations, like marriages, or like properties, are a class of things accorded a certain recognition by the conscience of our civilisation. One of them cannot logically plead its own rights without pleading the rights of the class. And to say that a nation which disregards frontiers and annexes or destroys neighbours is suffering from an excess of Nationalism is intrinsically nonsensical. We might as well say that a man who runs away with his neighbour's wife is suffering from an excess of reverence for the institution of marriage. We might as consistently maintain that a man who runs away with his neighbour's watch is too arrogant and implacable a protector of the rights of property. Mr Wells suggests, in an article in the Daily Chronicle, that the German disposition to ram sauerkraut down everybody's throat with a bayonet is an extravagance of national feeling. But it is not; it is a deficiency of national feeling — if only in the matter of wasting sauerkraut on people who do not appreciate it. What is the matter with the Germans is not that they think German culture is German culture - a platitude after their own hearts which they might have peacefully enjoyed to the end of the world. It is that they think German culture is culture — that it is the highest product of evolution, and is on a higher platform above an ignorant world. In other words, they think something culture which is only custom.”
I struggle to think Dorothy would be pleased with how she has been portrayed in light of the authors clear bias. Today’s Christian thinkers need to do better with using words correctly, not as culture has co-oped them.
Finally, Downing uses Ephesians 6:5-9 for the example of the church ignoring scripture during slavery. At best this is lazy hermeneutics, at worst it’s proof texting. This verse is clearly about salvation not socio-economic positions in society. Read more of your Bible so you actually have a sound scriptural argument against slavery (I promise there are many).
Aside from my ~clear~ disagreements with the final chapter, I loved this book and would highly recommend it (just skip Downing’s 38 pages of TDS meltdown and you’ll be good)
Let me first say I am obsessed with Dorothy and only increasingly so the more and more I learn about her.
I was so close to giving this 5 stars, and then I read the last chapter.
Downing’s chapter on Dorothy and politics read like a privileged anabaptist’s simplistic view of faith and politics. Yes, Jesus cannot be pigeonholed into one of our modern political parties today, I’m sure he would in fact have big critiques for both of them. The naivety comes then from the idea that all values (read political policies) are equal and since Jesus isn’t a D or a R we should just focus on the kingdom of heaven and not get consumed by the politics of our time. As if there’s really no difference between this candidate and the next because the world keeps spinning (especially for the privileged who are insulated enough to not be impacted from most things). Downing even goes on to assert that “one need only access any newsfeed during an election cycle to see the relevance of Baruch’s comments to our own day, when politicians manipulate religious voters by promising prosperity, order, and safety — even though such promises run counter to Christ’s teachings.” ????? They run counter to Christ’s teaching for WHOM?! The Church. There is a huge distinction between experiencing persecution ~because~ of your faith and wishing your neighbor to experience it because of poor (elected) leadership. And this is why we ought to care about politics because elections matter and policies impact people and we should love our neighbor. We should want prosperity, order, and safety for our neighbor.
Apologies for the rant, but nothing gets me more worked up than privileged white Americans lecturing the church about not getting political because election results have never impacted their soft, comfortable, lives.
The second issue I had with the last chapter was Downing’s clear anti-trump agenda concealed under the guise of “nationalism” (how ironic for someone saying politics don’t really matter…). She wasn’t even subtle about it — “Wanting to make Germany great again, Hitler…” Yes this is an actual line in her book. You’re loosing so much credibility in what you’re trying to say by letting your Trump Derangement Syndrome show, the cognitive dissonance is incredible. Or “for many Christians, the efficiency of getting desired results—like, say, a certain kind of judge on the Supreme Court—seems more important than listening to Jesus.” Are you joking?! (1) they’re called Justices, (2) listening to Jesus about what?!?!? Thousands of babies being sacrificed in the womb every year to the god of self and success. I digress…
Anyways, back to nationalism �� yes, Dorothy had much to critique about idolization of your nation, however she was incredibly patriotic and close with the Inklings who were all nationalists. Most notably Chesterton, whom she looked up to and who’s writings she claimed impacted her more than anyone else, said —
“It is false in logic, because Nationalism is a generalisation, as is the nature of any "ism." An Individualist, if there ever was such an animal, does not think that he is the only person who can be an individual. A Collectivist does not think that his cows and acres ought to be collected by an official, and everyone else's left as they are. Nor does a Royalist mean a madman who thinks he is the King of England; nor a Pantheist the other kind of madman who thinks he is all the God there is. All such positions imply an appeal to a general rule; and the Nationalist is only a Nationalist if he appeals to a general rule of Nationalism. Nations, like marriages, or like properties, are a class of things accorded a certain recognition by the conscience of our civilisation. One of them cannot logically plead its own rights without pleading the rights of the class. And to say that a nation which disregards frontiers and annexes or destroys neighbours is suffering from an excess of Nationalism is intrinsically nonsensical. We might as well say that a man who runs away with his neighbour's wife is suffering from an excess of reverence for the institution of marriage. We might as consistently maintain that a man who runs away with his neighbour's watch is too arrogant and implacable a protector of the rights of property. Mr Wells suggests, in an article in the Daily Chronicle, that the German disposition to ram sauerkraut down everybody's throat with a bayonet is an extravagance of national feeling. But it is not; it is a deficiency of national feeling — if only in the matter of wasting sauerkraut on people who do not appreciate it. What is the matter with the Germans is not that they think German culture is German culture - a platitude after their own hearts which they might have peacefully enjoyed to the end of the world. It is that they think German culture is culture — that it is the highest product of evolution, and is on a higher platform above an ignorant world. In other words, they think something culture which is only custom.”
I struggle to think Dorothy would be pleased with how she has been portrayed in light of the authors clear bias. Today’s Christian thinkers need to do better with using words correctly, not as culture has co-oped them.
Finally, Downing uses Ephesians 6:5-9 for the example of the church ignoring scripture during slavery. At best this is lazy hermeneutics, at worst it’s proof texting. This verse is clearly about salvation not socio-economic positions in society. Read more of your Bible so you actually have a sound scriptural argument against slavery (I promise there are many).
Aside from my ~clear~ disagreements with the final chapter, I loved this book and would highly recommend it (just skip Downing’s 38 pages of TDS meltdown and you’ll be good)
February 12, 2021
Sayers was a brilliant person. Downing does a great job of consulting a wide range of Sayers' writings to note how independent Sayers' thought was regarding culture and Christianity. Sayers, rather stubbornly, disagrees with, and overturns, popular thinking on a wide range of subjects. Then she goes on to give strong intellectual defense of her views. It is an understatement to say that Sayers has prompted many to at least give some thought to their various positions.
Downing does a marvelous job of clearly presenting Sayers as a positive influence in these arenas.
Downing does a marvelous job of clearly presenting Sayers as a positive influence in these arenas.
February 6, 2024
I liked this book a lot and thought it was a great introductory work to Sayers that helped to identify a number of themes and important events in her life. I really don't understand many of the negative reviews talking about how this idea of being subversive was fabricated. The one star review said that Sayers was subversive against secular culture while the book implied she was subversive against Christianity. They completely missed the point!
Sayers was subversive against "Christianity" just like Kierkegaard and Bonhoeffer were in their day. Cultural Christianity is not true Christianity - or at best, it's extremely naive and infantile Christianity. Sayers was subversive towards self-proclaimed Christians and unorthodox traditions held blindly as true by the masses. That is uncomfortable for cultural Christians to hear, I'm sure, because they want to be affirmed in their echo chambers. But Sayers was subversive - or as the Bible would term it, a prophet. She was a prophetic witness to the people who needed it most - the "religious."
Assuming the author was right about that, I really appreciated this look into Sayers's life. I need to read more of her and I'd love a book that moves beyond entry-level.
Sayers was subversive against "Christianity" just like Kierkegaard and Bonhoeffer were in their day. Cultural Christianity is not true Christianity - or at best, it's extremely naive and infantile Christianity. Sayers was subversive towards self-proclaimed Christians and unorthodox traditions held blindly as true by the masses. That is uncomfortable for cultural Christians to hear, I'm sure, because they want to be affirmed in their echo chambers. But Sayers was subversive - or as the Bible would term it, a prophet. She was a prophetic witness to the people who needed it most - the "religious."
Assuming the author was right about that, I really appreciated this look into Sayers's life. I need to read more of her and I'd love a book that moves beyond entry-level.
December 31, 2022
As someone who’s only read a few of Sayer’s mystery novels this was a good introduction to a broader aspect of her work. I highly appreciated learning about other parts of her life, and i was especially intrigued to read about how her faith and writings on it were a central part of her career.
HOWEVER, I was not entirely convinced that the author’s descriptions of Sayer’s beliefs were in fact what she would have described them as. At times the book read as if the author was attempting to pigeonhole Sayer’s beliefs into distinct narratives that did not entirely fit with the breadth of her life. And ultimately I was worn out by the fact that the author seemingly had to include the word “subversive” in Every. Single. Section. Of the book. It felt like an undergraduate essay that could not find other ways of expressing its singular point.
HOWEVER, I was not entirely convinced that the author’s descriptions of Sayer’s beliefs were in fact what she would have described them as. At times the book read as if the author was attempting to pigeonhole Sayer’s beliefs into distinct narratives that did not entirely fit with the breadth of her life. And ultimately I was worn out by the fact that the author seemingly had to include the word “subversive” in Every. Single. Section. Of the book. It felt like an undergraduate essay that could not find other ways of expressing its singular point.
November 11, 2022
Crystal Downing has written an excellent examination of the woman I've labeled "the female C. S. Lewis", Dorothy L. Sayers.
(Although Sayers herself would probably take exception to my labeling her such-- she would probably much rather Lewis be called "the male Sayers" instead!)
The counter-cultural Sayers wrote in 1941, "People of intelligence have drifted into the agnostic camp, and the world has become persuaded that it is impossible for any person with brains to be a Christian."
Both Sayers and Downing show us that this does not have to be the case. I highly enjoyed Subversive, and am grateful to The Society for Women of Letters for introducing me to this title as a part of their 2022/2023 "Year of Sayers" program.
(Although Sayers herself would probably take exception to my labeling her such-- she would probably much rather Lewis be called "the male Sayers" instead!)
The counter-cultural Sayers wrote in 1941, "People of intelligence have drifted into the agnostic camp, and the world has become persuaded that it is impossible for any person with brains to be a Christian."
Both Sayers and Downing show us that this does not have to be the case. I highly enjoyed Subversive, and am grateful to The Society for Women of Letters for introducing me to this title as a part of their 2022/2023 "Year of Sayers" program.
June 17, 2021
I love Dorothy Sayers. She left an incredible legacy through her writing, one that is so relevant today. This was a thorough look at her numerous works, and I think it worked for me because I was so familiar with Sayers’s vast range of works - from Lord Peter to The Man Born to be King to her theological works. Hands down 5 stars for chapter five: The Politics of Religion, the Religion of Politics. This read more like an academic book most of the time, often repetitive to a fault, but I still came away with more of Sayers added to my list to read next. I also realized I prefer to read Sayers herself than read someone else talking about her.
August 10, 2023
This book either made me dislike Dorothy Sayers or the author. If Ms Downing truly just reported history, then Ms Sayers was not a woman I’d emulate or promote as a “Christian” literary influence. Either that or Ms Downing reinterpreted or even made up a version of Ms Sayers as one who would appeal to the modern woman - feministic, independent and subversive. Either way, the book was not good.
May 7, 2021
I knew bits and pieces of info about Sayer's life before reading this book, found it really helped to connect what I already knew and put it in context while still showing me fascinating new things about Sayers. A great intro to her life!
Read
August 26, 2024Excellent, serves as both a nice intro to Dorothy's mind and work as well as having a lot to say in its own right. I do wish the word "subversive" was more rare, it wasn't misapplied, just uninteresting and even a bit comical to use it so many times. Loved the cover.
February 2, 2021
Loved the idea of this book. Very timely. The writing itself is more technical than flowing at times. I'm sure there are ideas in here that I will carry with me for years.
February 25, 2021
Thought provoking, very readable, just excellent.
March 30, 2021
A wonderful book and a must-read for anyone at all interested in Sayers. Full review: https://dearstrangethings.substack.co...
June 19, 2021
THE book to read on Dorothy Sayers!
September 1, 2022
Not what I expected but good read anyway. She relates Miss Sayers works to present day religious discussions in a clear and fairly easy way to read.
February 22, 2023
Probably around a 3.5 but I learned a good deal. Repetitive in parts, but all in all a good book.
October 19, 2024
This book was very thought-provoking. It's one I'll return to again. Hearing Sayers' own words and thoughts on theology through her writing and letters was a treat. Downing's repetition of phrases drove me crazy and felt a bit like a didactic brow beating. However, the various contexts of Sayers' work that Downing investigates are still relevant and insightful.
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