3/12: 

Miss Fisher, Kerry Greenwood, and the Green Mill Murder

[Click here to download or print a pdf copy of this lesson]

Last week we met the unassuming but acutely perceptive Miss Jane Marple. We followed her murder investigation, learning how she took in the various clues to the case and sorted through village gossip. By creating an “innocent” ruse involving the suspected murderer/dress-maker, Miss Marple was able to lead the rather bumbling law enforcement team to the truth of what happened (and why).

 

Agatha Christie was one of the first writers to introduce the female sleuth—a wildly popular mystery formula even today. For the next few weeks we will explore a few different styles of the female investigator/problem solver.


This week features Australian writer Kerry Greenwood’s private investigator, Miss Phryne (rhymes with “briney”) Fisher. Set in the late 1920s in Melbourne, this series is a winner. Miss Fisher will entertain you with her intelligence, courage, and charm.

 

Read on to learn about Miss Fisher’s creator, writer extraordinaire Kerry Greenwood.

 

This is a repeat write-up from last semester, with particular thoughts to ponder concerning “The Green Mill Murder.”


All About Kerry Greenwood

[Phrynefisher, 2023 & Greenwood, 2023] 

Kerry Greenwood was born in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray in 1954.  After wandering far and wide, she returned to live there.

She attended Geelong Road State School (now Footscray Primary School), Maribyrnong College and the University of Melbourne, where she graduated with Bachelor of Arts (English) and Bachelor of Laws degrees in 1979.

She was admitted to the legal profession on the 1st April 1982, a day which she finds both soothing and significant. She worked full-time as a criminal defense lawyer for Victoria Legal Aid before becoming a professional writer.

Kerry Greenwood has also worked as a folk singer, factory hand, director, producer, translator, costume-maker. She is also the unpaid curator of seven thousand books, three cats (Attila, Belladonna and Ashe) and a computer called Apple (which squeaks). She embroiders very well but cannot knit. She has flown planes and leapt out of them (with a parachute) in an attempt to cure her fear of heights (she is now terrified of jumping out of planes but can climb ladders without fear). She can detect second-hand bookshops from blocks away and is often found within them.

For fun Greenwood reads science fiction/fantasy and detective stories. She is not married, has no children and lives with a registered wizard. When she is not doing any of the above, she stares blankly out of the window.

In 2013, Greenwood was awarded the Sisters in Crime's Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award at its 13th Davitt Awards for Australian women's crime writing.


Her Work as a Writer

She began writing books at sixteen, but remained unpublished. In 1988 she entered one of her eight novels for the Vogel prize; although not successful, one of the judges offered her a contract for two detective novels.

Greenwood has written numerous novels, historical fiction, science fiction, a number of plays, including The Troubadours with Stephen D'Arcy. She is an award-winning children's writer and has edited and contributed to several anthologies. In 1996 she published a book of essays on female murderers called Things She Loves: Why women Kill.

The Phryne Fisher series began in 1989 with Cocaine Blues, which was a great success. An overview of her work includes:

12-minute interview

3-minutes

The Rise of Miss Fisher

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries is an Australian Broadcasting Commission TV drama/mystery show based on Greenwood's novels, and created by Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger. The show is set in Melbourne, Australia, featuring the Honorable Miss Essie Davis as Miss Fisher-- a rich private detective who solves crimes with a modern feminine flair.

The Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries television series was filmed in and around Melbourne in 2011 and premiered on ABC1 on 24 February 2012. A second series was commissioned in August 2012 and filming began in February 2013 and aired starting 6 September 2013. A third series was commissioned in June 2014 and began airing on 8 May 2015.

A film that continues the story started in the television series was released in 2022: Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears.

On an interesting note, the TV series was redone by HBO Asia in 2020 as Miss S, set in Shanghai in the 1930's instead of Melbourne in the 1920's. The show was filmed in Mandarin, Miss Phryne Fisher was renamed as Su Wenli, Inspector Robinson was renamed as Luo Qiuheng, and Dorothy 'Dot' Williams was renamed as Xiao Tao Zi.

Interview with Kerry Greenwood

[Money, 2012]

Thirty nine years ago Kerry Greenwood was walking down a staircase at Melbourne University when she clapped eyes on David Greagg.

''I honestly sat back on one of the steps,'' she recalls. ''He was barefoot, wore a red T-shirt, footy shorts, had the start of a blond beard. I felt like someone had punched me in the solar plexus and I said: 'That one!''' So she approached her object of impetuous desire and still remembers his reaction. ''Oh, there you are,'' said Greagg, and they have been together ever since.



''She's nothing like me,'' says Greenwood, ''just the opposite. Phryne is a hero, she's fearless. Like most girls, I became very insecure when my body began to change in puberty. Everything altered, suddenly I got scared.''

She tackled her fear of high places by parachuting out of a plane. ''Now I can climb ladders,'' she says, ''but I am afraid of jumping out of planes!''


At this moment Greagg appears with a cup of coffee. His long-ago blond stubble has bloomed these days into a magnificent set of white whiskers that would do Santa proud. Greagg is a mathematician and author but also a registered wizard by the name of Wizard Dafydd who ran for the federal seat of Kooyong five times, four of them against Andrew Peacock.


So here they are - never wanting to marry, never wanting kids - living happily in a tumbledown house in Footscray that used to belong to Greenwood's grandmother. The front has been swamped by vines and creepers, the hallway is dark and shadowy and lined with books, the bare floorboards squeak and just watch that tricky step in to the kitchen. This is a Chateau Whodunnit if ever there was one. Within these walls, often in the dead of night, Greenwood writes her books, seeing and talking to an imaginary Phryne Fisher when writing crime. ''Phryne sits on my desk, dictating,'' says Greenwood. ''She took over the books after the first two chapters. I have no control over her at all, she does what she wants. In this book I have just finished she holds up a ship.''


That pivotal tram trip in 1989 was a return journey from publishers Allen & Unwin who had summoned her after rejecting eight novels. ''Why don't you try crime fiction?'' they asked and Greenwood had nailed and named Phryne, based on her younger sister Janet, by the time she got home.


It was a bout of childhood measles that started it all. Greenwood was confined to bed and bored. She had just read Kidnapped and, gazing out the window, fancied that a water stain on the blind looked like an island. She began imagining what it would be like to live there and was soon lost in her own adventure. ''I realised I never had to be bored again,'' says Greenwood. ''All I had to do was tell myself a story.''


But don't accuse her of ''churning out'' her 59 books. ''It's hard work,'' says Greenwood, who researches every facet. For her 19 Fisher stories (the 20th is due later this year) she took the same type of gun that Phryne uses, a Beretta, to a shooting range to test the recoil and accuracy. Already with a junior flying licence, she flew a Tiger Moth, like Phryne, to sample the cockpit controls.

The success of the TV series has not done much to change her lifestyle. A rusting front gutter has been fixed, a rotted back window replaced, but the rest of the house is much as it was left when her grandmother lived there. ''This won't last,'' says Greenwood about her brush with fame. ''It's a flash in the pan, a new thing that gives everyone something to do on Friday night but it will finish soon so it won't ruin or change my life.''


She and Greagg sit at home each week watching Essie Davis bring her character to life on screen. Immediately after the first screening, Greenwood received more than 100 emails from hard-core Phryne fans. ''Six of them were very cross because they don't stick exactly to the story,'' she says. ''I told them: 'Stop watching television and read the books!'''

As a crime fiction character, she has been called a "quintessentially Australian" construction. Phryne is no ordinary aristocrat, as she can fly a plane, drives her own car (a Hispano-Suiza) and sometimes wears trousers. While displaying bohemian panache, she manages also to maintain style and class. Phryne was accidentally named after Phryne, a famous Greek courtesan who lived in the 4th century BC. At her christening, her father forgot the classical name Psyche that her parents had intended for her.

 

Phryne is described in the first of Greenwood's books, Cocaine Blues, as being named after the courtesan Phryne, after her father forgot her chosen name of Psyche at the christening. Phryne was not always rich, having been born into a poor family in Collingwood, Melbourne. Her childhood was one of poverty and she occasionally had to scavenge for food in the pig-bins in Victoria Market. She often ate rabbit and cabbage because there was no other food available. In Cocaine Blues, she tells her maidservant and secretary Dot that during her youth, she "starved like Billy-o" and that her sister died of diphtheria and starvation.

In the First World War, the other male heirs to a British peerage were killed, and Phryne's father inherited the title. In the book Blood and Circuses, her father is described as an earl, but in the TV series her father is a baron. As his daughter, she was granted the style of "The Honourable Phryne Fisher" (which is the title for a daughter to a Baron or Viscount while as a daughter to an Earl she would instead be "Lady Phryne") and an enormous fortune. She has an aunt, Mrs. Prudence Stanley. Although she is described as having sisters and a brother, it is not clear how many sisters she has, but her younger sister died of diphtheria.

After completing school, Phryne ran away to France where she joined a French women's ambulance unit during the Great War, receiving a reward for bravery and a French war pension. She then worked as an artist's model in Montparnasse after the war.

Becoming a Detective

Phryne Fisher's career as a detective is described in Cocaine Blues as having had its origins in an incident that took place at her family's estate in England. At an evening ball, a diamond necklace belonging to one of the guests disappeared, and Phryne was able, through observing the guests and the room, to quickly identify the person responsible for the theft as Bobby, a young cricket-playing aristocrat.

Impressed by her skills, another guest at the party, a retired Colonel Harper and his wife, Mrs. Harper, engaged Phryne to travel to Australia, her country of birth, and find out if his daughter, Lydia Andrews, was being treated well by her husband, John Andrews. 

This set in motion the events described in the first of Kerry Greenwood's books on Phryne Fisher, Cocaine Blues. Phryne's motivation to take up private detection as a career is rooted, at least initially, in boredom with the activities of high society in England. Although she did previously engage in charitable works, Phryne noted that "the company of the Charitable Ladies was not good for her temper."

In Flying Too High, Phryne Fisher decides to settle down in Melbourne, buying a house at 221B, The Esplanade, and moving in there with Dot Williams, her maid. She also engages Mr. and Mrs. Butler to act as her butler and housekeeper, respectively. Phryne confesses to her friend Bunji Ross that she bought the house because it was numbered 221 and that she added 'B' in an obvious reference to the home of Sherlock Holmes at 221B Baker Street.

Through the course of the books, Phryne collects a personal maid, Dot; two adoptive daughters, Ruth and Jane (whom she rescued from slavery); a cat, Ember; a dog, Molly; and two loyal servants, the Butlers. She also has relationships with a string of lovers, most notably Lin Chung, a wealthy Chinese man (whom she rescues in the city one evening). Lin is the only lover with whom she maintains a relationship for more than a few books and even goes so far as to make a deal with his autocratic and overbearing grandmother that after he is married, she (Phryne) be a allowed to continue a relationship with him.

Her Character and Her Skills

[Phryne Fisher wikiwand, 2023]

Phryne can shoot and often carries, and uses, a lady's handgun in her purse. She is frequently described as being possessed of great courage and fearlessness, and personally admits to having very few actual fears (one of them being head-lice, which she abhors). She rarely cries, noting in Cocaine Blues that the last time she had done so was over a book of poetry by Wilfred Owen, after being sickened by the deaths in World War I.

Phryne is a skilled and experienced pilot, and in Flying Too High, performs a number of dangerous and skillful flying maneuvers in a Gipsy Moth plane in response to a flying instructor's doubts about her skills. In addition to planes, Phryne is a skilled, if somewhat reckless driver, and drives a red Hispano-Suiza, one of her prized possessions.

She is fond of dancing and has learned to dance the tango from 'the most expensive gigolo on the Rue de Chat-qui-Peche' in Paris. She speaks French fluently, with a Parisian accent and peppered with 'indelicate apache idioms'.

Phryne is described as being fond of the luxuries her position and wealth afford her, while always being conscious of her impoverished origins. She tells the Princess de Grasse in Cocaine Blues that "there is nothing like being really poor to make you relish being really wealthy." She often carries cash on her person, reasoning that she is unused enough to wealth to want the security of having readily available funds. She is generous with her money, and tips well.

On the More Personal Side...

Phryne is frequently described as dressing in high fashion and her clothes are often described in great and elaborate detail. She occasionally dresses in trousers and men's shirts. Phryne also enjoys good food. She is 'devoted' to lobster mayonnaise with cucumbers, in particular. Despite her numerous relationships and conduct that some parts of society might find shocking, Phryne describes herself as being immune to blackmail, showing no alarm, for instance, when Bobby Matthews, a thief she had once caught, threatens to tell all of Melthat she had once visited an expensive gigolo in Paris.

Although Phryne has had several relationships with men, she is described as being disinclined to settle down and marry. She is described in her books as using a diaphragm sold by Dr. Marie Stopes to avoid unwanted pregnancies. She is described as being heterosexual, and often politely rebuffs advances from women who are attracted to her.

Phryne once describes herself as having 'not the faintest spurt of maternity' and demonstrates a disinclination towards young children.

What's it like playing Miss Fisher? 2 minutes

The Crypt of Tears, a full-length film, came out a few years ago.  Here's a fun look behind the scenes (11 6 minutes)

Watching "The Green Mill Murder"

From the first scene you’ll notice the unique flair of this period piece, set in the Australia in the late 1920s.

The timeframe corresponds with other stories we’ve read (think of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot), but consider how this work conveys its characters and how they behave.

Perhaps the most notable difference is our flamboyant heroine, Phyrne (Frine-ey) Fisher.

We approach this story as we’ve investigated others:

The Setting (and Context):

What’s the mood of the Green Mill jazz hall? How does this fit into the 1920s timeframe?

From the start a sub-plot emerges: this happens just after WWI when private airplanes (some retired from military use) were in vogue for wealthy people).

Notice the characters (who represents the good “guys” and the bad? What visual clues let us know?).

Characters:

There are quite a few characters to keep track of.  Need a playlist?

And there are a few other surprise characters.

The Stor(ies):

I chose this episode because of some interesting themes. Take notes on the story (formulaic for sure, but see what you think of Greenwood’s style).

Greenwood takes us (or Miss F does) issues including homosexuality, interracial marriage and racism, and post traumatic stress. How does this all weave together in a relatively short drama?

What are the motives of the possible suspects?

How do the characters evolve from beginning to end?

What do you think of the conclusion?


Final Thoughts

We’ll talk about these questions and much more!

Although this story was set in the 1920s, note that Greenwood wrote it in modern times, with the benefit of knowing history. Agatha Christie, in contrast, wrote closer to the time when Miss Marple was “alive.”

Let’s also contrast these “spinster” heroines.  And for our following week we’ll consider a contemporary tale that makes us question the role of the helpless female victim and the “strong” male perpetrator.

Works Cited

Kerry Greenwood. (2023). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerry_Greenwood

 

Money, L. (2012). Fearless Phryne Takes on the Small Screen. Retrieved from https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/fearless-phryne-takes-on-the-small-screen-20120401-1w6fe.html

 

Phrynefisher.com. (2023). Retrieved from http://phrynefisher.com/Kerrygreenwood.html

 

Phryne Fisher Wikiwand. (2023). Retrieved from https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Phryne_Fisher