The Inimitable Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse
In this magnificent new edition of one of the best collections of hilarious short stories ever written in the English language, follow the exploits of Bertie Wooster and his gentleman’s gentleman, Jeeves. Some of the funniest moments in the lives of Bertie Wooster, a gentleman, and Jeeves, his gentleman’s gentleman, are featured in this timeless collection of interconnected stories. Bertie’s dreadful Aunt Agatha stalks the pages looking for someone to devour, while Bertie’s friend Bingo Little falls in love with seven different girls in quick succession (he marries the last, bestselling romantic novelist Rosie M. Banks). And Bertie just escapes Honoria Glossop’s clutches with Jeeves’ assistance.
The Inimitable Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse
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Bertie Wooster, a rich and slothful twenty-four-year-old Englishman who is ignorant of any practical concerns, tells the stories. He and his toff buddies are saved from their numerous amorous and financial mishaps by his wise and competent valet Jeeves. The language of the characters is peppered with subtle humour as viewed through Bertie’s eyes. Despite having an Oxford education, Bertie struggles to deal with daily life. Bingo, a buddy of Bertie’s, wants to wed a waitress, but using Jeeves’ subliminal suggestion skills, he must first mentally get his class-conscious uncle ready. The strategy is so successful that a cook Jeeves was engaged to cancel their wedding in favour of Bingo’s uncle, and Jeeves becomes associated with the couple.
It centres on Bertie Wooster, a young man, and Jeeves, his butler. This is sort of a novel, but it was first written as a series of short pieces that appeared in publications around the beginning of the 1920s. I chose it because it’s fantastic in addition to being the first Wodehouse novel I ever read. I was especially recalling the funny first short story about Bingo, a buddy of Bertie, who had a passionate love affair with a waitress named Mabel. The plot revolves around Bingo’s attempt to obtain his uncle’s approval to wed Mabel, and Jeeves comes up with an ingenious plan to make this happen. In a wonderful moment, Bertie and the romantically troubled Bingo wind up in Mabel’s teahouse.
Jeeves always makes the perfect decisions. He is in command of everything, including Bertie’s love life and the socks he wears. He is “so darned competent in every aspect,” as Bertie puts it. And the two have a tremendous degree of affection for one another, much of it unspoken. Nevertheless, Bertie would dearly desire to be regarded as intellectual. He frequently tries to summarize things using quotations, but he frequently gets them incorrect and Jeeves kindly corrects him. Actually, Jeeves once describes Bertie as “mentally negligible,” which sparks some conflict. Jeeves isn’t all brains, though. We learn that Jeeves has a love life and is courting someone towards the conclusion of the second story…
