The Scott Stein, who teaches a course on humorous writing at University of Pennsylvania, said that he read P.G. Wodehouse’s The Code of the Woosters before any other Bertie and Jeeves novel. “It was one of the funniest, most entertaining novels I’d ever read,” he said. He read three more and “each has been less entertaining than the previous one. The last one I read, just recently (Jeeves and the Tie that Binds), was even a bit tedious.”
Frank Wilson pointed out Scott’s post and has yet to say whether he agrees with Scott. Not that it really matters, but hey, it’s a detail to point out, and Scott–that is, The Scott Stein–discussed his thoughts further on Frank’s blog.
I haven’t read the books Scott read. Of the Bertie and Jeeves stories, I’ve read Carry On, Jeeves, Very Good, Jeeves, Right-Ho, Jeeves, and The Inimitable Jeeves (I think). Each were hilarious. The story of Aunt Agatha and the Pearls was ripping funny, in part, because we knew about Bertie’s relationship with his aunt, “the one who chews broken bottles and kills rats with her teeth.” I haven’t gotten to The Code yet, but what do you think of Scott’s premise? Do these stories get old after a while?
As it happens, The Code of the Woosters was the first Jeeves & Bertie novel I read. In general, I think all the novels are essentially the same. Which is a large part of their charm. I don’t recall their order, but I believe Jeeves and the Tie That Binds was the last of the series. I suppose Wodehouse may have slowed down a little by then, but the only thing I recall not liking was that Wodehouse told us Jeeves’ first name. I didn’t want to know that.
They don’t get old for me. But, hey, I’m getting old and losing what little mind i ever had, so I can read the same Wodehouse book over again and laugh all over again at the same jokes. At least I think they’re the same one I laughed at before. Yes, the books have mostly the same plot, but the details and the language play are fresh and fun for me every time.
Hmm. I don’t think I’m done forever with Jeeves, despite what I said in my original post — maybe I’ll give it another go at some point. I wrote the post partly to try to understand why my enjoyment declined with each book and to stir up this sort of discussion, get feedback from others.
I should stress — which I hope is clear from my comments on Frank Wilson’s post on the subject — that I did enjoy the second one I read very much, and the third one (but less so), and even the fourth one (though it didn’t seem all that fresh to me, and yes, at times tedious). And Sherry, I laughed when I read through Code… again, even though I knew the jokes already. I don’t know what to make of that — maybe it’s why I believe it’s the best of the three. Maybe it has nothing to do with that.
Of course, it’s difficult to separate myself from the experiment. I think Code… is the best of the four I read, and I think that I think this not because I read it first, but because it is the best of the four I read. But how would I know? I can’t undo the fact that I read it first. If I’d read a different Jeeves novel first, perhaps I’d be praising that one. So, partly I’m wondering if readers noticed a difference in quality from one book to the next. Even if they’re pretty much the same book over and over again (which is true of so many comedies, sitcoms, etc.), are some better than others?
And I wonder if they got old for other readers despite starting at a different point than I did, or if they stayed fresh for them. I suspect they stayed fresh for many, many people, since they kept buying, and presumably enjoying, the Jeeves books when they were first published.
Maybe environment plays a bigger role than I think it does and I should read future Jeeves books on the beach.
Not that any of this matters much.
Speaking of all of Wodehouse’s books, I’m sure some are better than others. I know Will Duquette has blogged about it. I enjoyed each of the books I read equally, though they seemed to build on each other b/c I read them somewhat in chron. order. I also read them aloud to my wife, which added to atmosphere.
A tad formulaic maybe – but not old. After all, there are fresh gems of stunningly witty phraseology in each one. Plus there’s the non-Jeeves books. I LOVE the Mulliner stories. Psmith is fabulous. Cocktail Time is fun. And Summer Lightning… Ohhhh I’m a hopeless Wodehouse junkie.
I think the reason Wodehouse didn’t change his writing much is because he saw that he didn’t need to.
I not only enjoy all his stories, but I enjoy re-reading them. I am now rereading Thank You, Jeeves and liking it just as much as ever.
You can read Wodehouse anywhere. Try a Warehouse.