Last year Paul Kent published This is jolly old Fame, an examination of PG Wodehouse’s early oeuvre, in which he pokes around to find the seeds that germinated into the glorious world Plum created.
In Mid-Season Form Paul gets to the good bit; Wodehouse’s output from about 1920 until 1950 when he was in command of an original, inimitable, style that appealed to readers on multiple levels. His novels and short stories are intricately plotted farces with well-developed characters. That would not alone explain his popularity then and now. It is his dialogue and descriptive passages that appeal to an adult readership and, incidentally, the latter makes his work hard but not impossible to transfer to stage and screen. This is all grist to Paul’s mill.
If you get unadulterated pleasure from driving or being driven in a superb car you may or may not want to look under the bonnet. I doubt Lord Emsworth looked under the hood of an Hispano Suiza, an Antelope or an Albatross, all garaged in the stables at Blandings. Similarly you might think it would detract from the pleasure of reading Wodehouse if you look too closely at the wiring. Some will find it enhances their appreciation and some won’t – so there it is. However, there is no doubt in my mind that Paul Kent’s trilogy, there’s one more in the oven, is an essential reference book for readers wanting to understand Wodehouse, the man, his writing and his world.
Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, Volume 2, Mid-Summer Form, Paul Kent 2020. Available from www.canofworms.net
Thank you for bringing these books to my notice. I was straight onto the link to order my copies and despite the Xmas holidays, covid, & postal backlogs, my copies arrived on the 29th!
Perfect reading for breaking in the new year.
I don’t recall how I fell into the rabbit hole that led me to your blog ( probably following one of the beagles) but I’m very glad I did.
Best wishes for Bertie’s check up & a jollier 2021.