Day 320-- the Inimitable Jeeves, by P.G. Wodehouse
Sunday, July 22, 2007
I've been told all P.G. Wodehouse novels have similar plot structures. A central character--often the narrator--is engaged to be married against their will/stuck trying to help a good friend woo someone/accidentally stolen a policeman's hat, and another
central character helps them out.
And you know what? If this is the case, bring it on; Wodehouse is such an amazing, witty writer that the plot is almost secondary to the language and conversation of the characters.
Set in 1920s England, the Inimitable Jeeves revolves around narrator Bertie Wooster--a wealthy do-nothing--and his valet Jeeves. Wooster is no dummy, but he tends to get himself in scrap after scrap. Jeeves, who possesses a seemingly infinite amount of intelligence, always bails him out.
The almost feels like a bunch of short stories tied together through small plot devices. One of the main connecting points is Bertie's friend Bingo, a scrappy young man who falls in love with every woman he meets. He always wrangles Bertie into helping him some way, and as a result Jeeves gets involved.
The book is consistently hilarious. Wodehouse is a master with the English language, and though this is the only book of his I've read, popular consensus among book-snob types is that he's ALWAYS a master in his hundreds of novels. That's comforting in a way. This was a quick read, and definitely something that fits both into the "serious literature" and "wonderfully fun" categories.
Labels: review (book)
posted, with grace and poise, by Jason @ 7/22/2007 10:39:00 PM,
