Saturday, February 02, 2008

A Book About Nothing
On a tip from my niece, I've re-discovered the short stories of P.G. Wodehouse [1881-1975], specifically the Jeeves stories. Jeeves is the original quintessentially capable and nearly omniscient butler, prototype for any number of movie and sit-com characters. The cast of impossibly vain and shallow (but largely harmless and lovable) characters actually remind me of Seinfeld.
Each plot revolves around some minor mess young Bertie Wooster has gotten himself into and Jeeves, his valet, gets him out of. As in TV sit-coms, the principals seem to exist at perpetual leisure and 1920's English social situations provide most of the setting. Sort of Great Gatsby without foreboding and dark cynicism. Cleverly written, fast-moving, mindless entertainment. I'm enjoying it. Sample dialogue:

"Bertie," he said, "I want your advice."
"Carry on."
"At least, not your advice, because that wouldn't be much good to anybody. I mean, you're a pretty consummate old ass, aren't you? Not that I want to hurt your feelings, of course."
"No, no, I see that."
"What I wish you would do is put the whole thing to that fellow Jeeves of yours, and see what he suggests."

2 comments:

Nikki said...

I would like to read these stories. Are they compiled in a book?

terryd said...

Yup. There are collections of all his stories and at least one big fat book of the "Jeeves" stories at the library.