Alleyn as a gentleman detective Roderick Alleyn

the gentleman detective has long been staple of british crime fiction, particularly in novels golden age.

one obvious comparison roderick alleyn fictional lord peter wimsey. alleyn s family background resembles relationships created dorothy sayers fictional lord peter wimsey (born 1890). alleyn, wimsey has titled older brother, far more grand—he s duke. alleyn, lord peter s brother less intelligent , more conventional more famous younger sibling. alleyn s mother, lady alleyn, closely resembles in manner dowager duchess of denver, wimsey s mother. both ladies affable , intelligent, , support (and perhaps prefer) younger sons. 1 marked difference between fictional biographies of alleyn , wimsey, same age, in military service during world war i. alleyn s army service glossed on , never discussed, whereas wimsey s distinguished service on western front has mentally scarred him life. wimsey , alleyn share fondness in dialogue contemporary upper-class humor, slang , cant humor, although wimsey leans more towards bright young things cant phrases, whilst alleyn uses police , cockney slang , lards conversation hamlet allusions.

like alleyn, @ least 2 of agatha christie s detectives belong in gentry. elderly spinster, miss marple, not aristocracy quite @ home amongst them, while diminutive mr. satterthwaite (in mysterious mr. quin [1930] , 3 act tragedy [1934]) has similar background , wealthy besides. famous detective character, hercule poirot, foreigner, , outside english class system (of poirot takes advantage).

two known gentleman detectives may compared alleyn. these adam dalgliesh, created p. d. james, , inspector morse, created colin dexter. alleyn, dalgliesh flourishes in metropolitan police despite being gentry, recluse , poet. however, morse works in oxford , (or was) upwardly mobile: apparently won scholarship oxford subsequently failed. alleyn , wimsey, morse served in british army before joining police.