Reading is good. :)

[elisi]

Last week I was re-reading 'Gaudy Night' by Dorothy L. Sayers, and it's got to be one of my favourite books ever... and in the process I was yet again reminded of the many similarites with Spuffy...

S7 Spuffy specifically -  the couples' history is obviously so very, very different, but still we have the man falling for the woman at first sight, and the woman fighting him off for years. Then in S7/Gaudy Night we see the woman slowly falling... even as she desperately tries not to. And because he is a gentleman, he never takes advantage of this! We also see how the woman has to re-adjust her view of him, when she finds out why he loves her - he sees her clearly for all she is, and not just as some fantasy woman in his mind. And then - at the very, very end, she finally gives in!

Of course the differences are vast and numerous, but the parallels are also very striking... *happy sigh*

Comments

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

This reminds me that I need to start tossing some Dorothy Sayers on my Teetering Pile. I read Strong Poison a few years ago and loved it, but haven't ever gotten around to any of the other books (there really is just way too much to read out there).

[elisi]

Oh it's been years since I read Strong Poison... I really should get hold of it. And I know far too well the feeling of having too much to read, but Dorothy Sayers really is brilliant! Look out for 'The Nine Taylors'.

Speaking of reading, I found the Dawn/Ethan fic you rec'd a while ago - the one set near the end of S7. And I was surprised at how well it worked, thank you for the tip!

[elisi]

Gah! Forget the Spike/Dawn stuff, just realised that it was frenchani who mentioned it. Darn me and my sleepy brain!

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

LOL! That's okay... I was sitting here scratching my head thinking "Dawn/Ethan"?!?! I don't think I've ever even read that pairing, much less one good enough to share... :-p

So... was it Spike/Dawn, then? And if so, you wouldn't happen to still have the URL sitting around somewhere, would you?

[molliemole.livejournal.com]

I read all of Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter books years and years ago. I loved every one of them, but I can barely remember them. I'll have to dig them out and reread. Thanks for the recommendation! And I totally agree with your Spuffy take on them.

[elisi]

Nope, it was Dawn/Ethan and really not very squicky! (I know - it sounds impossible, but I swear it's true). Anyway, if you're interested, you can find it here:
http://community.livejournal.com/btvsats_love/35659.html

For Spike/Dawn I'd recommend poshcat and spikedawn! :)

[elisi]

She's one of my favourite authors, and I really need to get round to buying all of her work - my mother has them all, but I should get my own!

And it's obviously a particular type of love story that I fall for every time! :)

[avidrosette.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I loved Gaudy Night. Funny, reading it back then, before having ever read fanfic, I didn't recognize the dog collar for the kink it was. Found it strangely sexy though....

[zandra-x.livejournal.com]

Another Sayers fan checking in. Funny how just mentioning her makes a person want to reread her books. Since I see the Jossverse in alot of the music I hear, I wouldn't be surprised to Spike in a Sayer's book.

[lilachigh.livejournal.com]

I love Gaudy Night too. And I sneakily adore Busman’s Holiday even though it is a romance dressed up as a detective story. But I think for sheer terror Nine Taylors will always be the best. I used to have nightmares about bells after reading that and every time I pass a church tower and they are ringing, I still shudder.

I’ve just re read Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey for about the hundredth time. I admire the way she constructs her stories so much.

[molliemole.livejournal.com]

Another excellent book I haven't re-read in too long a time.

[missmurchison.livejournal.com]

Placet, magistra?

Guh. I remember reading that when I was a teenager. Amazing. A guy who proposed in Latin! To be loved for what you are, not what someone wants you to be, is an incredible gift. I think both Harriet and Buffy realized at the last that not only was it a gift, it was what they deserved.

[elisi]

Just remembered that I found a very intriguing Spike/Dawn fic the other day. WIP, but finished - the author is re-posting (and editing in the process) an old fic:
Yellow Paper Rose by soundingsea.

[elisi]

Oh I never thought of the dog collar in terms of kink - I think my heart just goes straight to the romantic chess pieces! Although... those scenes are very charged!

[elisi]

I've got a nice little collection of Sayers' fans on my flist! :)

Funny how just mentioning her makes a person want to reread her books.
Amen!

I can see fragments of Spike in almost everything! It's that obsession thing. *g*

[elisi]

Oh I *adore* Busman's Holiday - and it's one of the reasons I love complicated romances! The fact that just because you love someone desperately, doesn't mean that life suddenly gets easy.

Nine Taylors is excellent! I *must* re-read that one as well...

And I'll look out for Daughter of Time - not that I have much time for reading. You keep posting interesting looking fic, that I have to scroll past. *sigh*

[elisi]

Your icon just kills me! *deeeeeep sigh*

And I can only agree with *everything* you've written. And since I don't speak Latin, I was quite happy that Darcy's proposal was in English. Must tell that story sometime. :)