Happy P.G. Wodehouse Day!

What Ho, and Happy P.G. Wodehouse Day everyone! That’s what I’m calling Valentine’s Day this year. And why not? It’s a good day for it. Saint Valentine can’t expect all the attention for himself. Nor can he bally well object -- as the Patron Saint of affianced couples, love, and marriage -- to us celebrating …

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The Romances of Bertie Wooster

“Bertie, it is imperative that you marry." "But, dash it all..." "Yes! You should be breeding children to..." "No, really, I say, please!" I said, blushing richly. Aunt Agatha belongs to two or three of these women's clubs, and she keeps forgetting she isn't in the smoking-room.” The Inimitable Jeeves Once again, Plumtopia is celebrating …

The romances of Bingo Little: Charlotte Corday Rowbotham (by Ken Clevenger)

'Oh, Great Scott!' I said. 'Don't tell me you're in love again.' He seemed aggrieved. 'What do you mean-- again?' 'Well, to my certain knowledge you've been in love with at least half a dozen girls since the spring, and it's only July now. There was that waitress and Honoria Glossop and--' 'Oh, tush! Not …

P.G. Wodehouse reading guide: from Jeeves and Blandings to the Hidden Gems

People often come to Plumtopia for advice on how to get started reading P.G. Wodehouse, the Jeeves and Wooster series in particular. There's is no single correct approach to reading Wodehouse -- if you ask a dozen Wodehouse fans, you’ll get at least a dozen different answers. Picking up the first book you come across …

Right Ho, Gaukrodger

Noel Bushnell contemplates what might have been, if Wodehouse had gone to see Lancs v. Worcs instead of Warwickshire play at Cheltenham.

The Traveller

I was basking in the autumn sunshine, mellowing fruitlessly, when an unbidden thought drifted into my cerebellum: what if Jeeves had not been called Jeeves? What if another cricketer’s name had caught P.G. Wodehouse’s ear and the gentleman’s personal gentleman who made his entrance on 18 September 1915 had been called something else? Would Jeeves now be a metaphor for members of the butlerine genus everywhere, or for sources of infallible information on any topic, but most especially in matters of correct dress for all occasions? I mean to say, what?

These be deep waters and, before I stick my toe in, perhaps I should recap the story so far.

It all started when the By The Way newsletter of The P.G. Wodehouse Society (UK) marked the centenary of Jeeves’ premiere with the lengthy and detailed opinion of Wodehouse authority Tony Ring that the un-surnamed Bertie in the first “Jeeves…

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Remembering Percy Jeeves

'Do cricket trousers matter?' you may ask. I think we know Jeeves' answer to that one.

The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse: a 20th Century Classic

The Code of the Woosters was one of Stefan Nilsson’s suggestions for including a book by P.G. Wodehouse in your 2016 Reading Challenge – as a 20th Century Classic. A classic it most certainly is, not just in the eyes of Wodehouse readers. The Code of the Woosters frequently pops up in literary lists of …

Jeeves & Wooster centenary: Extricating Young Gussie

Hot on the heels of the Blandings centenary in June comes the 100th anniversary of P.G. Wodehouse's Bertie Wooster and Reginald Jeeves. The characters first appeared together in the story 'Extricating Young Gussie', published in September 1915 in the Saturday Evening Post. The centenary has been commemorated with a flurry of articles (try What ho! Celebrating …

Introducing Jeeves: saviour or snake?

Meet Jeeves, the world's most famous valet and P.G. Wodehouse's best known character. The name Jeeves has come to symbolise the epitome of efficient service to millions who've never even read Wodehouse. Among fans, he is spoken of with a reverence usually reserved for deities. And how many of us have wished for a Jeeves …

Perfect Nonsense

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbmSAQEg8ic In December, I had the delightful privilege of seeing Perfect Nonsense on tour at the Theatre Royal in Bath. For anyone not already aware, Perfect Nonsense is a stage adaptation (by David and Robert Goodale) of The Code of the Woosters. It's been well received by West End audiences since opening in 2013, and …