The Lady Vanishes: Rediscovering Gladys Mitchell’s Early Detective Fiction

Who were the doyennes of the British ‘Golden Age’ detective novel? Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Margery Allingham, Josephine Tey …but “the Great Gladys”? Gladys Mitchell published at least one fast-selling crime novel every year of her life after 1929. This short course will take as its focus The Mystery of a Butcher’s Shop (1929) and When Last I Died (1941), both of which feature the psychoanalyst, Mrs Bradley, as sleuth. In what social, cultural, and political contexts were these novels written and read? Did they throw detective fiction’s generic conventions to the wind? How do they relate to Mitchell’s other early writings?

Tutor: Sarah Wride PhD

Term: Summer

Day: Saturday

Dates: 3 and 10 May 2025

Time: 10am-1.15pm

No. of weeks: 2 (consecutive weeks)

Full fee: £57

This course will be delivered via Zoom. Students joining the course will need access to a computer, laptop or tablet with a microphone (essential) and a webcam (desirable), as well as a reliable broadband connection.

Register for this course online