Title: Thank You, Jeeves
Author: P. G. Wodehouse
Genre: Humor, Read-Aloud, Short Stories (Wodehouse wrote about 99 books and plays; I recommend this one to start with, followed by Right Ho, Jeeves, which contains the truly epic Market Snodsbury address by Gussie Finknottle*, and then there's no stopping you, but Blandings Castle could be next — of course there is a multitude of full-length novels as well).
Age Range: A chapter-book reader who has delved a bit into King Arthur, A Christmas Carol, and maybe some Shakespeare (say, age 11**) right on up to your great-grandmother
Recently I read an article about how standardized tests have attempted to become “experience neutral” (can't remember if they used any term, but that was the effect), removing references to any activity or thought that could be related to class, privilege, and especially religion. Testing follows teaching (and vice versa, of course), so the article could be read as a gloss on educational philosophy, or at least, practice, in general, in our time.
The example given was a question the answer to which turned on the word “regatta” — now deemed too particular to a certain way of life than a lot of other words. And I suppose it's true that if you happened to have been brought up by the seaside, participating in competitive sailing sports, you would have imbibed this word with your mother's milk and that one question would have been easy for you.
What I found ironic (and here I am not really commenting on testing per se, which is an energy sink dodged, for the most part, by homeschooling) is that *I* know this word and knew it as a child. My background: an immigrant (Arab, non-sailing) father, a mother brought up in a poor upstate New York (landlocked) small town, and in general not what you would call a privileged upbringing (especially as my parents were divorced when I was quite young). I played no sports whatsoever unless they were offered at gym, and trust me, sailing wasn't one of them.
The way I knew this word, and so many others far outside my ken, was of course by reading. And a further irony is that the more energy one spends worrying about testing and whether or not it rewards privilege, the less energy is left for reading and looking up words and thereby righting any inequalities of privilege.
You might even say that good books bestow the gift of putting privilege in its place, as the intelligent reader will not only receive all the benefits of life vicariously lived, but will come to the added understanding that mere money and social position often do not bring with them the happy life. Those who participate in regattas are not necessarily ahead of the game (other than the game of answering the odd question in bygone standardized tests — and the truth is, they were always going to go to the best colleges with or without those tests, because that's just how it is).
I was also pondering the importance of keeping the goal of reading good old books front and center in our educational journey when we were singing Christmas carols.
Will our children know the meaning of the word “own” in this phrase of We Three Kings: “Incense owns a deity nigh.” Not to mention “deity” and “nigh”? If you weren't brought up reading old books that toss off “He owned she was right,” or “The Prince owned that his counselors were nigh,” will the sense of the line elude them?
All these thoughts do not directly relate to the works of P. G. Wodehouse, because I am still staggering around with that sinus infection (despite meds). I just want to say that words — the knowing of them, the loving of them — are of central importance to education, and any child learns words by reading, looking up the tricky ones after lots of guessing, and using them in his own speech.
The thing about Wodehouse and why I need to be sure you know about him is that he demonstrates all that delightfully. Wodehouse is we ourselves, if we were clever and droll, having a rollicking good time with all the things rattling around in our brains after a long day swotting and generally hitting the books.
If you read your Wodehouse along with your Shakespeare and your Dickens, you will have a lot of fun. And don't think that having seen the TV show fits the bill. The first season gave satisfaction, but subsequent ones made the strange decision to depart from actual Wodehouse story lines, becoming tedious, in my opinion.
No matter. The books themselves will always be there to provide the world we all enjoy so well — gently and accurately mocking privilege, inevitably rewarding the enterprising bloke or vivacious gal, serving up our quota of incognito guests and flower-pot throwing secretaries.
For sheer hilarity, seemingly effortless good English prose (including some of the greatest similes and metaphors in the language), and great twists and turns of plots, Wodehouse is your man.
What is the Like Mother, Like Daughter Library Project?
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* The epic quality of this book was immortalized for the Chief and me one evening when we had left Grandma and Grandpa to babysit, returning after baby Nicholas was in bed. On opening the door, we immediately came upon a scene in the living room: A purple-faced Grandpa, on his feet, had tears streaming down his face as he waved a paperback wildly, shouting something utterly incomprehensible, and Grandma was doubled up on the sofa. Instantly we knew the exact passage he was in the midst of attempting to read to her, and we brought them soothing glasses of water and tried to ward off conniptions.
** If introduced too young, Wodehouse can prove to be vexatious. Our Joseph, serious and well read, was found at the tender age of 10 hurling a copy of The Code of the Woosters at the opposite wall. “They treat Bertie Wooster so badly!” he cried. The poor fellow needed a little distance to understand what it was all about…
Allison says
Thank you! I think these may be perfect for my 11 yr. old daughter! I realize you have probably gotten more than your share of advice about the sinus infection, but here is my two cents, coming from a sinus sufferer as well. Get a nasal syringe (neti pot did not work for me) found at Vitamin Shoppe or online and the packets of salt. Use warm distilled water mixed with the salt to rinse your sinuses twice a day. Also try high dose vitamin D, 1000iu per pound of body weight for 5 days. You can get the high dose off Amazon as well (a good brand is BioTech D3-50 which is 50,000iu) but if you have a local Vitamin Shoppe you can get the 5000iu caplets and multiply for this round. The other thing that has helped the past two winter seasons is called Monolaurin (brand is Ecological Formulas). I share because I went from 6-7 terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad sinus infections a year to 2 years with none and only one the past couple of years. As soon as I feel it coming on I start all of the fore mentioned and it has helped tremendously. Thanks again for the book recommendation and feel better!
Julie says
I love Wodehouse and his prose, and I totally agree about the shows (but I’m glad we own the set for a good laugh when we just need to veg). And Totleigh Towers? I just realized it’s Downtiwn Abbey!
Heidi says
I adore Wodehouse! I used to read it aloud to my roommate in college. The audiobooks have two different readers; one is boring, one is sparkling.
Angelique says
Love your site, Leila! Wodehouse is good for what ails you. Have you ever read his letters? He seems like he was a sweet and good hearted man. This post also reminds me of when my 7 year old read Little Women and started exclaiming “land sakes!” When she got excited. That was a really cute phase. I think having a large vocabulary is really underrated. Learning words in the context of a book really helps you to understand better how people different than you think — the different style of speech usually springs from a different way of looking at things. I hate reading historical fiction that uses modern language unwittingly — doesn’t matter if you can describe regency dress down to the exact type of muslin, if your heroine is talking about “relationships”…
Jeannie says
Love Wodehouse! I find myself just reading chunks out loud to my husband.
Sorry to hear about the sinus infection. They are beastly.
Katherine says
I think Wodehouse would be enjoyed more by older teenagers because I think you have to have a bit more experience and maturity to get the humor and truly enjoy it with laughter that provokes tears. My 12yo enjoys listening to audio versions of Wodehouse and has picked up a lot of “Bertie-isms” but he has not read the books yet and I think a lot of it would got over his head as the written word. He more enjoys the drama of the presentations and it has enriched his vocabulary – he knows what we mean when we describe a girl as “soupy” or a “Madeline Bassett type” and he can appreciate Bertie’s aunt angst, having many aunts himself. My older kids really got into Wodehouse in their 20’s – maybe being out in world and earning their own bread helps. My younger kids have been to Shakespeare performances and enjoyed them, but reading Shakespeare is something I’m putting off until they are older. I made the mistake of introducing Jane Austen to one of my daughters when she was too young to appreciate it and it turned her off to JA. She didn’t have enough experience of human nature and relationships to understand the humor and consequently the characters irritated her. I’m hoping when she’s middle-aged, she’ll come back to them. I knew someone who read Kristin Lavransdatter when she was in her late teens and she didn’t understand why people loved it. Then she re-read the book years later after she was married with children. She sobbed over the book and it became one of her favorites. I wish I had had a richer childhood filled with children’s classics instead of school textbooks (I didn’t read Narnia until I was in college), but at the same time I’m glad that there are so many adult books I didn’t read earlier and can now read and appreciate.
polly says
Thanks so much! My husband and I obsessively watched the TV show in record time back when we had a newborn, but I have yet to pick up one of the books. They sound wonderful. Library time!
Melissa Diskin says
At a picnic:
– “Bertie! Did you throw an apple at that cat?”
– “I was merely offering the animal a piece of fruit–“
Margo, Thrift at Home says
hmmmm, I must try Wodehouse again. I read a book on my best friend’s recommendation, but didn’t love it. She reassured me that it’s British humor and not everyone gets it.
Sarah says
We too have laughed until we cried from reading Wodehouse. He was a staple in our house growing up. The BBC TV episodes are also quite good, with Hugh Laurie as Bertie and Stephen Fry as Jeeves. My Mom used to check them out of the library as a special treat when we were kids and I find them equally hysterical now. I am now a bit more aware of the historical connotations of the blackface episode now that I’m raising three black kids so we’ll approach that one with discussion, but I can’t wait to share Jeeves & Wooster with my crew when they’re older. It was a pleasure to introduce my husband to both the books and the DVDs. He was surprised to find out that his Romanian grandmother used to read them (in English) back in post-war Romania, and, like everyone else, she laughed ’til she cried. Some humor stands the test of time!
Kathy@9peas says
I did not discover Wodehouse until I was an adult, living in Front Royal, VA. One of our friends kept talking about the show, and then that led to a discussion on the author and we have never been the same since. I also did not have a privileged upbringing, but thanks to books I knew a lot of the ‘lingo’, as well as the lingo regarding other things thanks to books. I was especially proud when a very good, brilliant friend of mine did not know what a talisman was (Sense and Sensibility), I did – thanks to books!
Rebekah says
I love Wodehouse, and love your discussion of “regatta” et al even more. 🙂
Jodi Lenz says
Excellent post.
Mrs. B. says
I like to compare PGW’s prose to a glass of fizzy, sparkling wine – but not champagne, though it is very refined prose, it is not blase’… maybe a more humble spumante, or a riesling – or a glass of your favorite cocktail. It’s exhilarating, and playful, and so clever, and just simply so delightful…
Your story about testing reminded me of something I read some time ago: it was about how Common Core lesson plans now teach about the Gettysburg Address: completely out of context, because knowing the context impedes an “independent approach to the text.” Excuse me, but that doesn’t even make sense! I don’t know what it is that they are peddling exactly, but it’s not education.. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/11/19/common-cores-odd-approach-to-teaching-gettysburg-address/
Anne says
Aww, poor sweet Jojo!
Sarah says
What a joy to find other lovers of Wodehouse in this universe! That particular brand of British humor filled my (decidedly un-British) household as I grew up, and I can’t wait to introduce it to my daughter (Sadly, at five, I don’t think she’s quite ready…). My husband, luckily, shares my love for Bertie et. al. It’s so important for a family to have a shared vernacular, I think. For us, “He does, does he” and all possible variations thereof, are a constant refrain, thanks to Wodehouse.
Thank you once again Auntie Leila. Take care, please!
–Sarah
Tia says
Yes! Completely agree. I can’t tell you how many very English, to-the-manor-born words I learned just by being a voracious bookworm. And I’m about as far from an English country miss as you can imagine. Of course, then you wind up with the problem of having absolutely no idea how to pronounce certain words. (or inferring the wrong meaning — “penultimate” embarrassed me mightily at one point.)
Elisa says
Your article and the comment above reminded me of how many times my children and myself have said a word incorrectly because we had only seen it and not actually heard. And it’s good to read older books because the vocabulary is so much richer. I just finished Les Miserable and there was much looking up and I have a master’s degree! I think we would be well-served in the educational community (of which I am a proud member) by challenging kids to read more good books and worry less about test results. Excuse me, I must add Wodehouse to my queue on Goodbooks.
carrien - she laughs at the days says
“And a further irony is that the more energy one spends worrying about testing and whether or not it rewards privilege, the less energy is left for reading and looking up words and thereby righting any inequalities of privilege.”
There are times when you write a sentence and I just have to stand back and applaud, while enjoying the turn of phrase at the same time. Probably has something to do with your reading of all those good old books.
Leila says
Thank you, Carrien! As I wrote it with a dagger stuck into my face (sinus infection), I am happy it makes sense 🙂
Clara says
I totally agree with your discussion of the word “regatta”. What one can learn from reading is vast and underrated in the current education model with a focus on testing and test scores. I read voraciously as a child and teen, sadly my reading tapered off in college (well, it was focused on mandatory reading, rather than pleasure reading).
After college I discovered many more great books/ authors I had skipped over when younger. I read Chronicles of Narnia and Agatha Christie. I also discovered PG Wodehouse several years ago while convalescing – he is hilarious! Especially with having lived in England for a short period, I love the humour! (And occasionally bust out British spelling. LOL) I bought a compilation as a “carrot” during my convalescence.
I’m really enjoying your Library Project series!
I hope you get better soon! Sinus infections are awful! I had good luck with seeing a homeopath to help with my sinus infections. If you have one near you, I recommend a visit. After 1-2 years seeing the homeopath, I haven’t had a sinus infection since then. That was 15+ years ago.
Kimberlee says
The image of your dear boy chucking PG at the wall is simply priceless.
priest's wife @byzcathwife says
“good books bestow the gift of putting privilege in its place”
YYYYEEEEEEEEESSSSSSS!
and beautiful churches with art and great music…(…and libraries…and free days at museums….)
Julie says
What? There is a tv version of wodehouse? Absolutely must see for me. Love his work, enjoyable written or spoken. I liked your discussion about the damage we do when we are concerned with “values neutral” testing. It certainly isn’t possible, and hampers our ability to know the past (with all of it’s sins and glorys.)
Mrs. Pickles says
Yes! Thank you for reminding me that our library needs more Wodehouse. Speaking of flower-pot-pitching secretaries, my dear brilliant husband gave me a copy of “Leave It To Psmith” for Christmas. I kept thinking that I was going to get annoyed at Psmith, but he was so charming and his use of language so delightfully Wodehouse-esque. It’s a corking good story, too.
Another of our favorites is the delightful collection, “The Most of P. G. Wodehouse,” which has quite a variety of his short stories. Our two absolute favorites are “Mulliner’s Buck-U-Uppo” and “The Reverent Wooing of Archibald,” both of which are hilarious. Of course. The latter involves a young man wooing a young lady by his expert imitation of a chicken laying an egg. My husband and I assumed similar positions to your in-laws while reading it aloud.
Speaking of Wodehouse in general, have you seen this article warning about the dangers of “Wodehousing”? 🙂 http://tinyurl.com/k7o8bam
Leila says
Mrs. Pickles, I saw that article about Wodehousing and was taken in, briefly! Didn’t realize it was an Onion-type site at first! LOL
Mrs. Pickles says
That’s a kind of graffiti I could live with. 🙂
Anna Vitz Price says
P.G. Wodehouse is probably the most-read author in my family (which is saying a LOT). The only other contender might be Patrick O’Brian. He is SO unbelievably funny. Have you seen this random quote generator?
http://www.drones.com/pgw.cgi
Also, have you seen the New York Review of Book’s collection of classic children’s books? It is surprisingly good and there are a bunch on there I haven’t read. I’d like to give them a try!
http://www.readerscatalog.com/pages/classic-childrens-books
Christina A says
My SIL introduced us to Patrick O’Brien’s “The Christmas Hatchet” a few years ago, and my kids can’t stop talking about it; her family reads it aloud together every Christmas.
Christina A says
Whoops! The Christmas Hatchet is actually by Patrick F. McManus.