In praise of P.G. Wodehouse: Blandings Castle reviewed by Nicholas Hoare

P.G. Wodehouse is deservedly renowned for his immortal creation of Jeeves. He is, however, even better renowned for an almost unbroken string of peerless social comedies that have never gone out of print.

Several of these concern the ineffable Earl of Emsworth and his improbable prize pig, the Empress of Blandings; and while your correspondent has shamelessly deployed "Blandings Castle" as bait, he might just as well have deployed PGW's entire oeuvre (proudly owned in its entirety) for the difficulty entailed in deciding on a single book to review.

For those not brought up on Britain's social mores, as much as those that have been, the likes of Jeeves, Lord Emsworth and the dreaded Freddie Threepwood are the stuff of comedic legend; and if - horrors! - one is hospital-bound or otherwise indisposed, look no further! A short, sharp dose of P.G. Wodehouse will restore your spirits pronto, no matter which of his books you choose.

As to Jeeves, PBS's splendid series, featuring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, stands as a benchmark of British humour and remains, deservedly, definitive.

A magnificent author, whose time has come to be rediscovered, as much by a new generation as the old. And "Blandings..." is one of his best.

More humour book reviews at:

[bernie]

So right. Finding Wodehouse was a wonderful joyful surprise for me. Thank you so much.

[bernie]

That was lovely and enjoyed your burst of enthusiasm for PG. my fave is Code of the Woosters, hotly followed by Joy in the Morning and the Golf stories. There are a few episodes of Wodehouse Playhouse on YouTube now with the brilliant Pauline Collins.

[neilmidkiff]

I love your enthusiasm for my favorite author too. One tiny quibble: in "The Hon. Freddie Threepwood" Hon. stands for Honourable, not Honorary.

[ornleifs]

Love his books, his humour and the wonderful flow of his words is amazing.

[zoobee]

this video cheered me up. you are a wonderful gentleman. and yes Wodehouse is a tonic for all melancholy

[coolrocknroll]

Wow you're brilliant! Being a musician, I enjoyed your cheerful note at the end. Wodehouse? Is the best cure for depression EVER. I've read all 12 Jeeves & Wooster books around 20 times each, the Blandings series only twice each. For some reason they didn't 'vibe' with me the same way the J & W books did but they're still better comedy than anything else written before or since. And praise be to Fry and Laurie for helping to keep the Great Man's legacy alive!

[joestevensus]

Thanks for this lovely video. I'm reading through the works of in chronological order and you have reminded me of what I have to look forward to.

[jordancooper]

Does anyone have any recommendations on books of non fiction on P G wodehouse the man, a biography or memoir? I would love to learn more about the man

[peterfreeman]

I have been reading the works of P G Wodehouse for about half a century, and I find myself returning to them over and over when the political or economic or even actual skies are darkening. They provide escapism and humour, and sometimes that is what we all need. However, Wodehouse has rather let his readers down with Jeeves and Wooster. He himself has admitted that he has re-used plots and dialogue in his books, often without realising it until after publication, and this is especially the case with the Bertie Wooster canon. It's all great fun, the scrapes and japes and spats with Jeeves over - well, spats, and other items of clothing, but the stories lack depth and there is little or no exploration of the characters in them. Take Jeeves, for example. These stories start around the time of the First World War, when a great many members of the English upper classes were killed in France, leaving behind young sons who later drift more or less aimlessly in and out of the Wodehouse books. But Jeeves, too, was of an age to be called up in the war. Did he serve in the trenches, or was he the batman to some General behind the lines? And what of the Jeeves who played cricket for Warwickshire pre-1914, who died in the Battle of the Somme? Was he a relation? Wodehouse does not tell us, probably because he was not aware of the fellow's existence. There is so much more that he could have done to flesh out the Wooster books, and make the characters more vivid.

Somehow this is a failing that is not so evident in the Blandings books. There are a few plot repetitions, but - perhaps because the setting allows for so many more characters to be in play at any one time - the stories themselves hum along quite nicely, and the characters are allowed to have more interesting backgrounds and personalities. Galahad Threepwood is a fine example - a man whose future happiness was snatched from him while still young, when The Family closed ranks and exiled him to South Africa to prevent him marrying Dolly Henderson, a chorus girl and the only girl he ever loved. See? You don't get that sort of background detail in the Wooster books, and it allows Dolly's daughter Sue Brown to star in a couple of Blandings books (with just the right sort of happy ending).

So, overall I prefer the Blandings books. The setting is perfect, the Ninth Earl is agreeably dotty, and there are ferocious aunts galore (well, sisters as far as Clarence and Galahad are concerned, but aunts to all the assorted lovelorn junior members of the cast). Add a sprinkling of pigs, pigmen, gardeners and butler, throw in the much-maligned and unjustly vilified Sir Gregory Parsloe in the next village, don't forget the Emsworth Arms - stir well and serve. Wonderful.

[SamA-mvho]

"Leave it to Psmith" is his best.

[sillybeeful]

Well, you’re an enchanting sweetie… this video genuinely made me smile 😊

[Tony-hxfj]

If you are new to P.G. W listen to Jonathan Cecil"s narrations on YouTube. It will change your