The Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith, Weedon Grossmith
The Diary of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith, edited with an introduction and notes by Ed Glinert for Penguin Classics, channels a razor-sharp satire via the daily misfortunes of the legendary comedic figure Mr Pooter. Mr Pooter is a person with low goals who is comfortable with routine life. However, he always appears to be bothered by uncooperative tradespeople, impolite young office assistants, and errant acquaintances, not to mention his devil-may-care son Lupin and his inappropriate spouse. The Grossmith twins painted a beautiful image of the class structure and the underlying snobbishness of the middle-class suburbia in Pooter, a stupid, ridiculous, but ultimately adorable creature.
The Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith, Weedon Grossmith
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It makes fun of the Aestheticism, spiritualism, and bicycle crazes of the late Victorian era as well as the trend of publishing diaries written by everyone and everyone. In addition to the novel’s serialization in Punch, the suburbanization of society, and the character of Mrs Pooter, this version also includes Weedon Grossmith’s original illustrations and an introduction by Ed Glinert, author of The London Compendium. In his early career, George Grossmith (1847–1912) covered police court cases for The Times. He began his career as a singer and performer in 1870, giving birth to some of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operettas’ most enduring characters.
George Grossmith’s brother, Weedon Grossmith (1854–1919), studied at the Slade and the Royal Academy with the goal of becoming a painter. He displayed his work at the Grosvenor Gallery and the Royal Academy. He travelled to the provinces and the United States after joining a theatre group in 1885. The Night of the Party, the most well-known of his numerous plays, was released in 1901. If you liked The Diary of a Nobody, you might also enjoy Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome, which is also available in Penguin Classics. The funniest novel was ever written, according to Evelyn Waugh, who also called it “a masterpiece that will live forever.” Priestley, J.B.
In the late Victorian Era, Mr Charles Pooter, a middle-aged suburbanite from London, makes the decision to keep a diary. Why shouldn’t he, when it appears like everyone is sharing their diaries? He only wishes he had started the diary sooner. He tells his devoted wife and impudent son that he had hoped the diary would be a treasured memento of him after he passed away and that perhaps having it published could net them some money when halfway through this hilarious story revealed through his daily entries, it appears that several pages were torn out to use as fire kindling. His family members can’t help but chuckle.
The biggest joke is that this diary of a devoted clerk in a traditional accounting firm, who has done little else in his life and is content with the status quo, is actually incomparably priceless for its humoured and what it reveals about the Victorian middle-class life and preoccupations that it satirizes. Mr Pooter and his pals stand in for a culture that has become complacent and unduly focused on its own hobby horses and manners, while his adult son Lupin represents the brash younger age that shuns stale customs in favour of unrestrained enjoyment and gratification. The Grossmith brothers, who wrote this primarily in George’s hand and drew it in Weedon’s as a magazine serial, were unaware that they were producing more than just a work of fiction.
