Not really my cup of tea, and so all these years I've resisted reading Wodehouse's novels about a sublimely frivolous young man aided and abetted by his erudite, astute and always excruciatingly correct valet. However, I finally gave in and read this highly recommended title, and I have to admit that I was amused. The charm of Wodehouse is precisely that he allows readers to escape into a world where one's most pressing concern is choosing the right tie. Wodehouse is a master of the mock heroic. At a moment when Bertie, dressing for dinner, feels that all the sorrows of the world have come upon his head, he sighs and says, "There are moments, Jeeves, when one asks oneself, 'Do trousers matter?'" Jeeves responds to Bertie's despair with quiet assurance: "The mood will pass, sir."As a bonus, in this novel Wodehouse makes merciless fun of a character named Spode, leader of the "Black Shorts," a dead ringer for the British fascist and Nazi sympathizer Oswald Mosely. Everyone wants the antique silver cow creamer—Bertie’s Uncle Tom wants it for his collection, but his rival Sir Watkyn Bassett has beat him to it. Aunt Dahlia wants Bertie to steal it, and Sir Watkyn’s friend, Roderick Spode, is already convinced Bertie is the well known criminal named Alpine Joe. Bertie manages to get himself engaged to both Madeline Bassett and Stiffy Byng, and of course, Jeeves comes to the rescue.
What do You think about The Code Of The Woosters (1938)?
My favorite Wodehouse novel! He can spin a yarn like no one else.
—DanaAllen
