My first Wodehouse was 'Laughing Gas', gifted to me when I was in class 8. I tried reading it in 9th, but did not understand it too well and discarded it as boring (o_0). I picked it up again in class 11 (I had far outgrown the Enid Blyton books/Nancy Drew series and the sorts, found reading too many Agatha Christies a bore, and Harry Potters came only once a year but lasted only 2-3 days). Was finally able to understand Laughing Gas, and having never read a quality comic novel before, found it extraordinarily amusing. I then went on to read 'The Girl on The Boat' and a series of Blandings books picked up from the school library. But I experienced the true pleasure of Wodehouse only when I read Jeeves.
Jeeves and Bertram Wilberforce "Bertie" Wooster are undoubtedly the most famous Wodehouse characters. Their stories, narrated by the wealthy scatterbrain Wooster, recount a series of unfortunate situations from which the ingenious valet Jeeves is always able to save them. Jeeves' scheming mind can always shape whatever situation they are stuck in, into something favorable for him and his master. Bertie has several friends who keep asking for Jeeves' help, some of them being Bingo Little, who has a penchant for falling in love with every girl he meets, the newt-obsessed Gussy Fink-Nottle, and the likes of Tuppy Glossop and Oofy Prosser.
What I like best about the Jeeves series is the excellent narrative interspersed with what might as well be a compendium of pre-World War II English slang in use. Wodehouse's ability to magically transform the bleak and solemn to the jolly and cheerfully banal, using only the narrative, is exceptional and creditable. Here's my favorite Wodehouse quote, describing a situation when Wooster is trapped on the roof and an angry swan patrolling the bottom of the staircase forbids him from ever being able to get down. Jeeves, as expected, comes to his rescue.
"Every young man starting out in life ought to know how to cope with an angry swan, so I will briefly relate the proper procedure. You begin by picking up the raincoat which somebody has dropped; and then, judging the distance to a nicety, you simply shove the raincoat over the bird's head; and, taking the boat-hook which you have prudently brought with you, you insert it underneath the swan and heave. The swan goes into a bush and starts trying to unscramble itself; and you saunter back to your boat taking with you any friends who may happen at the moment to be sitting on roofs in the vicinity. That was Jeeves' method, and I cannot see how it could have been improved upon." - from 'Very Good, Jeeves'
Jeeves and Wooster steal most of the light, but there also are the perpetually penniless Psmith, who is always upto unsuccessful tricks to make/extract money and Ukridge, who can go to any extent to exploit any and every kind relative or friend to extract money.
Reading Wodehouse is somewhat like eating potato chips - you can't stop after just a few, highly addictive when you begin to enjoy the process and once you are finished, there is nothing substantive you can say about the experience except a sense of pure, silly satisfaction. Fans of Wodehouse will understand what I am talking about and those who haven't tried him, should find out. I encourage you to pick up that Wodehouse you've been looking at for ages wondering whether it would be worth the read. I'm sure you will love it, once you get into the Wodehouse 'spirit'. Moreover, I can safely say that a Wodehouse is the best mood-lifter you will find. He has an uncanny ability to derive comedy out of common situations, through his uncommon characters. Entreat yourself to a sophisticated feel-good comedy. A Jeeves or Psmith would be good for starters.Try a Wodehouse today!
Sincerely,
Wodehouse Addict! :)
P.S.: Wodehouse stories have hints of philosophy too:
It is a good rule in life never to apologize. The right sort of people do not want apologies, and the wrong sort take a mean advantage of them.” - The Man Upstairs.
This article is dedicated to Meha, who gifted me 'Laughing Gas', long long back and helped start my obsession with Wodehouse. My library, for keeping an endless stock of excellent Wodehouse books; to Ishita, for 'A Pelican at Blandings', 'Eggs, Beans and Crumpets', and also Shretima, for lending me her Jeeves novel, which I kept forgetting to return it for almost a year.
Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, who played Jeeves and Wooster respectively in the TV series 'Jeeves and Wooster' based on the Wodehouse stories. The series is nearly as good as the books, with dialogues copied almost word-by-word from the text... :)
