2020 Escape to Wodehouse
‘There are moments, Jeeves, when one asks oneself, “Do trousers matter?”‘
‘The mood will pass, sir.’ Continue reading 2020 Escape to Wodehouse
Category: Criticism
Critical discussion and responses to critics.
Sweetness and light – How seriously should we take Wodehouse?
Link to Eliza Easton’s review of Paul Kent’s ‘Pelham Grenville Wodehouse Volume 1: This is Jolly Old Fame’ and Wodehouse compilation ‘Above Average at Games’ by Richard Kelly — in the Times Literary Supplement. Continue reading Sweetness and light – How seriously should we take Wodehouse?
Wodehouse’s Anti-Semitism in Context by Elliott Milstein
This article was originally published in the March 2019 edition of Wooster Sauce, the journal of The P G Wodehouse Society (UK) and is reproduced here with kind permission of the author. * * * Wodehouse’s Anti-Semitism in Context by Elliott Milstein In searching the internet for reactions to the recent news regarding Westminster Abbey’s plans to dedicate a memorial to P. G. Wodehouse, one of the netizens of PGWNet uncovered an article by Benjamin Ivry in the October 18, 2018, edition of Forward whose title really says it all: “How Lovely P.G. Wodehouse Was – Such a Shame About … Continue reading Wodehouse’s Anti-Semitism in Context by Elliott Milstein
The enduring appeal of PG Wodehouse: If you think it’s just farcical butlers and upper-class twits, think again!
In 2015, BBC radio presenter Kirsty Lang interviewed director Rob Ashford and writer Jeremy Sams about their stage musical adaptation of P.G. Wodehouse’s A Damsel in Distress. It’s one of Wodehouse’s many transatlantic tales, and delves into the world of musical theatre. The central character is an American composer of musical show tunes, and he manages to navigate life efficiently enough without the assistance of a manservant. KIRSTY: Now Jeremy, it’s a very engaging production, but the story’ is very much of its time. How confident were you that it would work for a 21st Century audience? JEREMY: Well you … Continue reading The enduring appeal of PG Wodehouse: If you think it’s just farcical butlers and upper-class twits, think again!
P.G. Wodehouse and the First World War — Great War Fiction
Yesterday I shared ‘A partial book review of Middlebrow Wodehouse’. Today I’m sharing a response from George Simmers. George writes about Wodehouse often at his blog, and contributed a piece for Middlebrow Wodehouse on Wodehouse and the First World War. All this leaves me even more determined to fork out the advertised price of the volume and read it for myself. HP A while ago I wrote a chapter on Wodehouse and the War for a collection, Middlebrow Wodehouse, that tried to locate PGW in the context of his times, and of popular literature. The book appeared, and seems to have sunk without … Continue reading P.G. Wodehouse and the First World War — Great War Fiction
A Partial Book Review: Middlebrow Wodehouse: P. G. Wodehouse’s Work in Context ed. Professor Ann Rea (2016) — Moulders Lane
Rather like looking for a word in Chambers, running a Google search means you never know what odd thing you’re going to discover. The latest piece of flotsam to strike my bemused gaze is a new book on Wodehouse: Middlebrow Wodehouse: P. G. Wodehouse’s Work in Context published in January of this year and written […] via A Partial Book Review: Middlebrow Wodehouse: P. G. Wodehouse’s Work in Context ed. Professor Ann Rea (2016) — Moulders Lane Continue reading A Partial Book Review: Middlebrow Wodehouse: P. G. Wodehouse’s Work in Context ed. Professor Ann Rea (2016) — Moulders Lane
Highballs for Breakfast
Highballs for Breakfast is a new compilation of P.G. Wodehouse’s writing on the subject of liquor, drinking, Dutch Courage and mornings after, compiled and edited by Richard T. Kelly. It’s a well-researched collection that delves widely into the Wodehouse canon, … Continue reading Highballs for Breakfast
The 2015 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize: a Wodehouse reader’s view
At last week’s Hay Festival, Alexander McCall Smith was announced winner of the 2015 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for comic fiction, for his book Fatty O’Leary’s Dinner Party. The prize is awarded ‘in the spirit of P.G. Wodehouse’. I’ve enjoyed many of the previous winners and shortlisted entries, but Wodehouse fans should not to expect great similarities between Wodehouse’s writing and these examples of modern genre. With that caveat in mind, let’s take a look at the 2015 shortlist. How to Build a Girl by Cailtin Moran “My life is basically The Bell Jar written by Adrian Mole.” Described as semi-autobiographical, … Continue reading The 2015 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize: a Wodehouse reader’s view
Some Advice on Being a Writer (the Wodehouse Way)
Originally posted on Moulders Lane:
I recently found a series of fascinating interviews in The Paris Review, with half a century of famous writers discussing How They Wrote: a treasure trove of advice and inspiration for the aspiring author. The one that most struck a chord, though, was the interview with our beloved Plum in 1975 by Gerald Clarke. Wodehouse returned to America in 1914, following earlier, brief visits – payment for his short stories being considerably more than that by KinGaCCouPoon” href=”#”>offered in England – and it was there that he found success in the musical comedies that would… Continue reading Some Advice on Being a Writer (the Wodehouse Way)
What’s up with you today? (Nothing, now that I’m reading Wodehouse)
‘What’s up with you today?’ he asked. Continue reading What’s up with you today? (Nothing, now that I’m reading Wodehouse)
Plumtopia 