See that the mind is honest, first; the rest may follow or not as God wills. [That] the fundamental treason to the mind ... is the one fundamental treason which the scholar's mind must not allow is the bond uniting all the Oxford people in the last resort.

Sayers once commented that Lord Peter was a mixture of Fred Astaire and Bertie Wooster which is most evident in the first five novels. J. In addition to the ingenious thinking in working out this analogy the book contains striking examples drawn from her own experiences as a writer and elegant criticisms of writers when the balance between Idea Energy and Power is not in her view adequate.

She is also known for her plays literary criticism and essays. She was also a student of classical and modern languages. However Sayers herself considered her translation of Dante's Divine Comedy to be her best work.