“You seem not to appreciate the importance of your special form,” he said. “Detective stories contain a dream of justice. They project a vision of a world in which wrongs are righted, and villains are betrayed by clues that they did not know they were leaving. A world in which murderers are caught and hanged, and innocent victims are avenged, and future murder is deterred.”
“But it is just a vision, Peter. The world we live in is not like that.”
“It sometimes is,” he said. “Besides, hasn’t it occurred to you that to be beneficent, a vision does not have to be true?”
“What benefits could be conferred by falsehood?” she asked.
“Not falsehood, Harriet; idealism. Detective stories keep alive a view of the world which ought to be true. Of course people read them for fun, for diversion, as they do crossword puzzles. But underneath they feed a hunger for justice, and heaven help us if ordinary people cease to feel that.”
—Thrones, Dominations, Dorothy L. Sayers & Jill Paton Walsh
As Lord Peter notes above, I do read mystery novels for fun and diversion (though I rarely figure out the solution before the detective does). But this articulation of the deeper order and meaning inherent in the genre made me want to stand up and shout “Yes!”. Detective stories portray the world as I often wish it were: chaotic at times, but with the possibility for justice and truth.
When real life feels seemingly random, a collection of subplots and loose threads (and occasional tragic events) that don’t always hang together, it’s comforting to reach for a mystery novel (or flip on an episode of Castle). I’m consoled and heartened by the knowledge that Sherlock Holmes, Maisie Dobbs, Miss Marple, Chet and Bernie, and even 11-year-old Flavia de Luce can trace the clues, find the killer, and wrap everything up by the last page. Although more cases will always crop up, every solution brings us a bit closer to the ideal of a just and peaceful world.
Do you agree with this vision of detective fiction? (And are you acquainted with Lord Peter and Harriet? As you may know, I adore them both.)
cakes, tea and dreams 
I also adore Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane! I just reread Gaudy Night, one of my favorites. Mystery novels have always been comforting to me and now you have given me another reason to understand why. Agatha Christie is another favorite and recently I read Murder at the Vicarage. Loved it. So happy to discover your blog and a kindred spirit!
I have read all of the originals multiple times but only the first of the JPW . . . I was not completely sold on it. How many of them have you read?
I’ve read the first two and just started the third. Not as good as the originals, but I like them. The second one is set in the same village as Busman’s Honeymoon, during World War II, and I really enjoyed the setting.
Love, love, love detective novels! Especially if they are set in 1900’s England. My new recent discovery are Bess Crawford and Ian Rutledge mysteries. Not sure if you’ve read them yet, but I think you would like them!
I do like the Bess Crawford series! Haven’t tried Ian Rutledge yet, though.
I know and love all these detectives, but Flavia is by far my favorite.
I love mystery novels, too, for that reason – they represent a world where a neat resolution is possible, the good guys win and the bad guys are punished. The real world so often isn’t like that, so it’s nice to travel in fiction for that kind of assurance.
I am also a big fan of Dorothy Sayers!
Although detective novels are for fun and diversion, the thought that murders are solved is somehow comforting.
I did notice though that Lord Peter Wimsey does struggle sometimes with bringing a murderer to justice…certainly in that time when murder was punishable by death..
Other writes I like are Ngaio Marsh and Josephine Tey