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A metropolitan city India (NRI)
Sir PG Wodehouse Does it again in style
Jun 01, 2003 11:03 PM 9025 Views
(Updated Jun 19, 2004 08:44 AM)

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''Chumps always make the best husbands. When you marry, Sally, grab a chump. Tap his forehead first, and if it rings solid, don't hesitate.'' – Sir. PG Wodehouse


Success comes to a writer, as a rule, so gradually that it is always something of a shock to him to look back and realize the heights to which he has climbed.



INTRODUCTION


Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (PG Wodehouseas he is well known) was born in 1881 in England and died in 1975 as an American Citizen, shortly after being created a Knight (Title of SIR) of the British Empire. He had a knack for penning out suave comedy from the rather mundane lives of a British Gentleman and his butler. Bertram Wooster (Bertie as he is well known) is an upper-class parasitic societal gentleman and his valet Reginault Jeeves (Jeeves) is a highly educated butler who is able to cope up with his master. It is Jeeves who makes things rather interesting in these books for he is the one who knows answer to all the questions posed by Bertie. Jeeves is a kind of person who understands Sigmund Freud and quotes Virgil. Jeeves is a person with infinite sagacity. This combination makes it a knock-out pair for deeply litigated comedies unsurpassed so far for its meticulous impeccability of prose. The Times of London called this work by PGW as “comic genius recognized in his lifetime as a classic and an old master of farce”.


PG Wodehouse is not for light-readers but for someone who throngs for that extra literary humor sometimes too hard to be deciphered by some mere mortals. This pair of Bertie and Jeeves is so parodied on earth that they kind of have a cult following everywhere. It is so unfortunate to see that this may not be appealing to nouvelle-wave generations as it is pretty much of a reactionary prose. It will be unintelligible to those who may have tough time to decipher or cognize the esoteric rituals of the old age Britain. His books have withstood the tests of time so far, I could only wish that they continue to do so for the times to come as his books are some kind of treasures to be owned and read.


VERY GOOD JEEVES – AN ANALYSIS


I happened to read this whilst in college, as a good friend of mine (and a PGW fan) forced me to read this. In my own conscience I decided to give it a try as my earlier fling with “Pigs have wings” was not bad at all. Very Good Jeeves is a collection of short stories about Jeeves and Bertie. This book is of eleven stories altogether. Some of the good ones are



Jeeves and the Impending Doom – A weekend at Aunt Agatha’s home which goes ghastly


Jeeves and the Song of Songs – Is a story where Bertie tries his hand at singing


The Inferiority Complex of Old Sippy – Is a story where Jeeves helps a friend of Bertie win the hand of the woman he loves.


Jeeves and the Old School Chum – Is a story in which Bertie’s childhood friend Bingo Little goes on suffrage of ideas from his novelist wife Rosie Banks from her old school chum Laura Pykes.



There are other stories that are equally good. The mentioned ones are by far the best of the best, in my humble opinion (IMHO).


This book is definitely a must for all those who want to see a glimpse of PG Wodehouse masterpieces of literature.


MY OPINION


PG Wodehouse is an enigma to many mortals. His literature was far ahead of his contemporaries. The way his literature is being read and analyzed by so many literature student, by itself is a classic example for the same.


There are so many creative quotes such as “The Right Hon. was a tubby little chap who looked as if he had been poured into his clothes and had forgotten to say 'When!'” from the 'Jeeves and the Impending Doom', the first one of the lot is a classic examples satirical humor.


PG Wodehouse is an excellent author without a doubt. Incidentally he was knighted in the same year I was born in. :)


Very Good Jeeves is a great book to read on Just like all his 92 books including 11 novels are a literary treasure. This book is a feather in this king of humor’s cap.


SOME MEMORABLE PG WODEHOUSE QUOTES


A chap who's supposed to stop chaps pinching things things from chaps having a chap come along and pinch something from him. - The Code of the Woosters


Ice formed on the butler's upper slopes. - Pigs Have Wings


Golf ... is the infallible test. The man who can go into a patch of rough alone, with the knowledge that only God is watching him, and play his ball where it lies, is the man who will serve you faithfully and well. - The Clicking of Cuthbert


'Didn't Frankenstein get married?' 'Did he?' said Eggy. 'I don't know. I never met him. Harrow man, I expect.' - Laughing Gas


He felt like a man who, chasing rainbows, has had one of them suddenly turn and bite him in the leg. - Eggs, Beans and Crumpets


'Yes, sir,' said Jeeves in a low, cold voice, as if he had been bitten in the leg by a personal friend. - Carry On, Jeeves


It was the look which caused her to be known in native bearer and halfcaste circles as 'Mgobi-'Mgumbi, which may be loosely translated as She On Whom It Is Unsafe To Try Any Oompus-Boompus. - Money in the Bank


'I hate you, I hate you!' cried Madeline, a thing I didn't know anyone ever said except in the second act of a musical comedy. - Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves



I hope you liked the review.


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Kalil


ISBN: 0140284109


First published in US: June 20 1930 by Doubleday Doran, Garden City, New York


First published in UK: July 4 1930 by Herbert Jenkins, London


Paperback: 288 pages ;


Latest Edition Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper); (January 2000)


Price : $7.95 or 300-350Rs In India


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