Reading the 20th Century discussion

Welcome to our June 2024 buddy read of....



The Code of the Woosters (1938)



All are welcome

Come one, come all

So far it's RC, Brian and me who are confirmed


Here's what's in store....

Take Gussie Fink-Nottle, Madeline Bassett, old Pop Bassett, the unscrupulous Stiffy Byng, the Rev., an 18th-century cow-creamer, a small brown leather covered notebook and mix with a dose of the aged aunt Dahlia and one has a dangerous brew which spells toil and trouble for Bertie and Jeeves.

Any idea what a 'cow-creamer' is?

A little jug that looks like a cow, for adding cream to a cup of coffee

Here you go...

Oh dear, what will Jeeves think of that?!

Very popular in the 19th century


I suspect he might be quietly approving



https://www.bhandl.co.uk/about/auctio...

Nigeyb wrote: "I suspect he might be quietly approving"

Haha, do you think? Possibly, if it's a genuine piece of artistry but my gut feel is that Jeeves likes elevated, sleek and classy - a man after my own heart 😏

Ours had a pink body with a white poll, white on her hocks & belly, and black hooves. She had a bell hanging from a sort of china staple under its jaw, was named Clarabell, and dispensed milk onto our breakfast cereal. It was one of the greatest delights of visiting my grandparents and had been used so often that the color was wearing off the body.

Wow! Where would my cultural education be if not for this group?! 🤭

I've made a brief start on this and think it's going to be delicious! Madeleine Bassett with her 'squashy soupiness' and tendency to drop into baby talk is a fantastic character and I've always had a soft spot for Gussy Fink-Nottle. But Sir Roderick Spode as well and we can't have too much of Aunt Dahlia - PGW is spoiling us!

And I finally looked up how telegrams work - I had no idea they were in morse code.

Dying to know, too, what's in Jeeves' patent hangover cure ;))

Looking foward to this one - another reread and hotly anticipated


As I recall it the Jeeves hangover cure includes a raw egg, tabasco and Worcestershire sauce

Hard to imagine too many health professionals recommending it still it would certainly take your mind off a hangover for a few minutes

Eeew, especially first thing in the morning. I wondered if it was a hair of the dog remedy as Bertie recalls it blowing his head off before he rallies - but I guess that's the Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce.

Sir Roderick and the Black Shorts! Because shirts were already taken... It's Mitford-esque to send up the British Union of Fascists - and typically PGW that Bertie is appalled by them exposing their knees. I checked and this was published in 1938. Pretty political for PGW.

I'll be starting this tomorrow


Joy is unconfined

Hurrah. I was reading it on the tube and it has quite a Blandings feel: the caper of the cow creamer and some lovers who need a helping hand. Jeeves is going to be the Gally figure!

Yes. Many parallels.


And of course that enormous, fish-fuelled brain is also a major boon when helping the course of true love

I'm racing through this


I can recall it all pretty clearly and whilst not top tier J&W it's still pretty damn splendid with some great characters not least Sir Watkyn and Spode

And Stiffy is great too. Brighter and more assertive than many young women who feature in these books

I've just got to the Junior Ganymede Club where the Gentlemen's Gentlemen go - and the initiation involves telling secrets about their employers! Love how shocked Bertie is at this.

Yes, that's very amusing


Wait til you hear what ultimately emerges - it's worth the wait

I finished this last night

More wonderful J&W. I prefer the novels to the short stories but both are fab

Wow, you romped through this! I have train journeys today and tomorrow so will likely finish by tomorrow.

I'm dying to know what the secret is - and laughed out loud at Spode wrapped in a sheet, painting round his neck and rolling around on the floor, colliding with Aunt Dahlia! She's a gal 🤣

I'm currently at the raid on Stiffy's room: Jeeves perched on the wardrobe is so far beneath his dignity!

Oooh, newts in the bath... and down the plughole! Is this the PGW version of the urban myth of alligators in the sewers?

It's like reading a 30's screwball comedy instead of seeing it on the screen. Delish. I love Aunt Dahlia's comment about gorgonzola--I lost the spot because I was eager to hear what happened next.
The slapstick with the suitcases has me laughing out loud.

I also love how political this is, from Spode's tiny mustache, all the references to dictators, and Aunt Dahlia's obviously satirical suggestion that the cow creamer was stolen by an international gang. A thorough send up of fascism, which I especially appreciate at the moment when a group of neo-fascists has seized control of my own country.

Also, I love the fact that PGW used the word "mazard". I always have to look this up when I encounter it, because it always distracts me by making me think of mid-17C France.

G wrote: "It's like reading a 30's screwball comedy instead of seeing it on the screen."

I'm enjoying your enjoyment, G! I must be a tiny way behind you and just when I think things can't get more farcical, PGW gives another wind to the plot! The mashup of a Blandings-style plot with Bertie and Jeeves is a winning formula, for sure.

So glad this is hitting the spot G


It is indeed farce-tastic RC

I've finished - and totally 5-stars for me!

Hurrah


There's nothing like a five star Wodehouse for spreading joy and adding to the sum total of human happiness

I'd give this 6 stars if I could. What a blast!
(And very welcome at the moment, as the situation here got so much worse today with ICE attacking a crowd of apparently peaceful protesters

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....)

Wonderful that you loved it so much G


There's plenty more where that came from

G wrote: "I'd give this 6 stars if I could. What a blast!"

Me too: I see we both treasured the line about dictators and women's undergarments, and Spode rolling around with a portrait around his neck and tangled up in a sheet, and even an undignified position for Jeeves on top of the wardrobe!

Let's keep our monthly PGW going - it's so much fun 😂

Talking about fun and farce, are others here Georgette Heyer fans? If so, I would suggest we read one of her books that has a similar screwball vibe: The Grand Sophy is the first one that springs to mind.

My review of this 5 star reading experience: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Roman Clodia wrote: "Talking about fun and farce, are others here Georgette Heyer fans? If so, I would suggest we read one of her books that has a similar screwball vibe: The Grand Sophy is the first one ..."

I'd be willing to try The Grand Sophy someday. If you want to do it this year, my suggestion is either October or November because:

July - too soon to plan
August - chock full of RTTC books already
September - a Pym and Wodehouse already scheduled - enuff comfy reads
October - a Fremlin, which is a good co-read IMO
November - a Highsmith, also a good co-read IMO
December - Wodehouse scheduled, so only if Oct & Nov are no good

I'd be up for The Grand Sophy, especially if we did it later in the year as Brian suggests. It would be fun to read Heyer with this group. I have an IRL friend who adores Heyer, but she looks for very different things from her reading than I do, so even when I've acceded to her wishes and read one, I haven't been able to discuss it afterward.

Wonderful - let's say October then for The Grand Sophy. I giggled out loud at this one!

I am too late to the party but I am about 40% into the book and things are heating up.
Too many people after the cow creamer. Almost reminds me of Heavy Weather and Gally's manuscript.

'There are moments, Jeeves, when one asks oneself, "Do trousers matter?"'
'The mood will pass sir.'

It’s a great line


Wodehouse is full of them

I was also getting Blandings vibes - always an excellent thing!

Nigeyb wrote: "It’s a great line


Wodehouse is full of them"

One of the reasons why reading Wodehouse is so much fun.

Anubha wrote: "Too many people after the cow creamer. Almost reminds me of Heavy Weather and Gally's manuscript...."

It takes a brilliant mind to make that observation, Anubha.
(The following is a paragraph from my review of "Code" - see Message 32)
All these characters and MacGuffins* combine for an incredibly well-crafted and designed delightful mansion escapade reminiscent of the best of the Blandings series. It reminds me most of a personal Blandings fave, Heavy Weather, where the MacGuffin was a memoir manuscript rather than a cow creamer.

It takes a brilliant mind to make that observation, Anubha.

Thank you Brian.

All these characters and MacGuffins* combine for an incredibly well-crafted and designed delightful mansion escapade reminiscent of the best of the Blandings series. It reminds me most of a personal Blandings fave, Heavy Weather, where the MacGuffin was a memoir manuscript rather than a cow creamer.

Beautifully articulated. Also, I didn't know what a MacGuffin was, so learnt something new today. Thank you.

Another thing that I loved about The Code of the Woosters is the good natured ribbing between Aunt Dahlia and Bertie. More often than not, Bertie is shown to be a bumbling fool and only grudgingly tolerated by his relatives and some of the more intelligent young girls in the series. Most prominently, Aunt Agatha is generally pretty cold, dismissive, and less tolerant of Bertie's escapades.
But Dahlia, while firm and demanding at times, seemed genuinely fond of Bertie. And their ripostes were quite entertaining to read. Especially, the phrases Bertie cooks up to address Aunt Dahlia, such as "aged r", "old flesh and blood", etc.

Warms my heart to read these comments


Thank you