The P. G. Wodehouse thread

[hitmouse]

I'm not sure I could narrow my favourite Wodehouse to five. I adore the Jeeves stories and the Blandings are brilliant. I should get around to reading his golf stories, but since I have no interest in golf I'm not sure they would keep my interest.

Don't let antipathy to golf put you off. Might make the stories even funnier. They are excellent.
I used to belong to a group that read Wodehouse short stories out loud. Someone would start and when they were laughing so hard they could not carry on, they would pass the book on to the next person, and so on. Wodehouse is great for reading alone, but he is outrageously funny when read aloud. His comic timing is perfect for this.

 

[Bick]

I finished Picadilly Jim. It's an absolute corker; one of the best Wodehouse's I've read.

 

[Allegra]

Piccadilly Jim was adapted to the big screen - 3 times. I watched a bit of 2005's version on YT after read the book, nah. The book is always better.

Uncle Fred may be my favorite character. I only regret that we never allowed to meet Aunt Jane. She must have been a woman of endless patience. It is interesting that she only unleashed him on the world at intervals, yet they seem to have had a very happy marriage.

I guess that was due to Uncle Fred's unconditional submission. I regret that Wodehouse didn't write more of Uncle Fred and Psmith. Each has only four novels. I'm still saving the last Uncle Fred - Service with a Smile for later. While Psmith - my other favourite has a silver tongue (love his eloquence and diplomacy and seemingly naïve cunning or seemingly cunning naivetés), Uncle Fred is a man of action. Wodehouse is such a genius on portraying offbeat characters and plotting the plot (I read somewhere he spent a lot, a lot of time on plot - I can just imagine he must have often chuckled to himself while doing it), and his brilliant writing of dialogues and action scenes so often made I laugh to tears!

 

[Michael Colton]

While I enjoy all of the bits, it was the dialogue that really captured me about Wodehouse. Such skill.

 

[Extollager]

I ordered the Uncle Fred Omnibus... I don't think I've read any of those stories yet, but they seem well-liked here.

 

[Bick]

I ordered the Uncle Fred Omnibus... I don't think I've read any of those stories yet, but they seem well-liked here.

What's in that, Extollager? Any shorts? Presumably the novels "Uncle Fred in the Springtime" (which is also a blandings novel), "Uncle Dynamite", "Cocktail Time" (which I have, but haven't read just yet), and "Service with a Smile". I don't have the last. I think there are probably Fred short stories, but I'm not sure.

 

[Extollager]

I don't think Service with a Smile is in it -- I think the seller named the first three books. Should be plenty to keep me going for a while.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Great thread! I've always wanted to read Wodehouse...I love the Jeeves & Wooster series. My wife has read Wodehouse and loves him..and I've just discovered that many of his books are free at the US Amazon site, so I've got a nice selection on my Kindle now. We have reading nights, where no TV is allowed...we read out loud to each other. We'll finish The Shining soon, and then it's on to Wodehouse! So thanks for the thread and conversation everyone...this has been inspirating!

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Any shorts?

Off the top of my head I can think of only one short story, "Uncle Fred Flits By," in which the Earl impersonates several different people in the space of (probably) less than an hour. Which is pretty well even for him!

 

[Vertigo]

Finished Right Ho, Jeeves a week ago and whilst the body of the book was brilliant and hilarious, I found the end rather disappointing; too glib and not even witnessed by the reader. Still a great read though. A few more thoughts here.

 

[GOLLUM]

I like the Jeeves & Wooster stories certainly.

I have a doorstop-sized Woodehouse reader.....which I have hardly touched to date I'm ashamed to admit.

 

[Connavar]

Thanks to this thread i went to library today to finally get a Wodehouse book to read. I have a Hardboiled PI novel to finish before reading him in few days. I have been wanting to read this comic legend for a few years and browsed his shelfs dominated by Jeeves stories. Thanks to 4 of the books in Bick's fav list being in the shelfs of his that i browsed i choose:

Code of the Woosters - as my first ever PGW. I wanted to sample a novel and not short story collection. Frankly im excited to finally read this author. Im a big fan of classic brit humor,wit. I like for example GK Chesterton for the wit, dry humor of some his stories. Im used to more modern comic writers so i look forward to sampling a classic great.

 

[Bick]

I'm glad you picked that up and that this thread served as some inspiration to search it out. "Code" is completely wonderful. If you don't like it I'll go the foot of our stairs.

 

[Allegra]

Was away for a few days, now the update: finished Ukridge before the trip. Hilariously funny and clever! I liked this short stories collection even more than Love Among The Chickens. Not sure which one I should read next, too spoilt for choice.

 

[Allegra]

Having read a few more Ukridge short stories scattered in other collections (I found Ukridge to be one of the most successfully portrayed characters of Wodehouse, utterly outrageous and charming though you wouldn't want him near you within ten yards), now I am getting acquainted with Mr. Mulliner in Meet Mr. Mulliner.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Wodehouse's short fiction brought out his most original plots. I love the Milliner stories. Meet Mr. Mulliner has one of my favorites, "Mulliner's Buck-U-Uppo."

 

[Allegra]

Good news for stocking up: Book Depository now has many titles of paperbacks at 50% discount:
http://www.bookdepository.com/barga...ntent=BargainShop&utm_campaign=NL_Apr_Bargain

 

[hitmouse]

Wodehouse's short fiction brought out his most original plots. I love the Milliner stories. Meet Mr. Mulliner has one of my favorites, "Mulliner's Buck-U-Uppo."

Buck-U-Uppo is a useful dramatic device. Particularly funny story (in Meet Mr Mulliner) of the 2 curmudgeonly old boys who go back to their hated old school for a statue unveilling and take too much of the stuff one night.

 

[Allegra]

Just finished Thank you, Jeeves. I think this is Wodehouse's first long novel of Jeeves & Wooster, definitely the funniest I've read so far. Almost on every page there were something that made me laugh or chuckle.

 

[Allegra]

Finished Code of the Woosters, now on Joy in the Morning. Most delightful escape. Just as someone said, PGW is a 'comic poet'. He stands alone.