Topic started by Saketh on Mon Aug 30 17:11:04 .
What do you think of British Humour?
Partiularly the funny world of Wodehouse and his characters?
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Topic started by Saketh on Mon Aug 30 17:11:04 .
What do you think of British Humour?
Partiularly the funny world of Wodehouse and his characters?
Makes good light reading. I am a big fan. Read a lot of his books. I dont see many PGW fans in US.
Heard that he had emigrated to US and wrote most of the books while living in US. Dont know if that is true.
Trivia: Only two characters appear both in Blandings Castle stories and Bertram Wooster stories. Who are they?
Just finished reading my first PGW book. Goes by the name of 'Picadilly Jim'. It's very humourous but not in the sense that one can laugh out loud. Everything is taken lightly. I found that it reminded me of 'Crazy Mohan's' screenplays. A lot of 'aal maraadam' going on. Of course, this is the first book so let's see how it goes.
great!!!!!
aruvi: PGW is most famous for aaL maaraattam. In "Aunt's aren't gentleman" Bertram Wooster and his friend (monty bodkin?) get arrested for trying to steal a policeman's helmet during Oxford Boat Race Night. Bertie gets fined 5# and is let off. Next when his friend's turn came the judge decides to take notice of the increasing number of attempts to steal policemen's helmtets and delivers a lecture and sentences him to 1 month in jail. But the friend is engaged to the Vicar's daughter and has to be present in the village. So Bertie goes there taking his name, the girl knows him and cooperates. She has eight aunts. The friend gets clemency on the queen's birthday so decides to go to the village, but since bertie has already gone there in his name, he goes as bertram wooster. Oh my god you got to read the book. Does it remind you of the plot of a recent tamil movie?
The number of aaL maaraattams in Uncle Dynamite is just too much! Is that where a character will be living with three different false identities at the same time in the same house?
Freddie Threepwood marries the daughter of the owner of Dog-Joy dog biscuits and emigrates to US. He returns and announces he is the Vice President of Dog-Joy. "So it pays to marry into the family in America?"
Freddie:"No pretty much everyone starts out as a vice president over there. If I really do well I hope soon to become a second assistance deputy salesman" (paraphrased.). He tries to get the exclusive contract to sell dog biscuits to Sir Gregory Parsloe-Parsloe, with the help of Lady Constance Keeble, his aunt. But Sir Gregory is the arch rival for Clarance, the ninth Earl of Emsworth, owner of Empress of Blandings, hoping to win the Fat Pigs Section of the Shrophshire Country Fair. Wow, so long since I read PGW. nice remniscences.
Some of PGW quotes...
1. They crached into each other proving that two people cannot be at the same time at the same place
2. He went in and came back so quickly that he saw himself going in.
more later
Two lovable characters at Blandings:
1.Pig-headed Lord Emsworth,who has nothing but the
prize pig that he rears on his mind all the time.
2.Uncle Galahad,the trouble-shooter at
Blandings,who pulls out all his young nephews/nieces out of the tight holes in
which they're fixed,sometimes with the able
counsel provided by his all-efficient
(inimitable,in .G.W's words)valet,Jeeves.. (Incidentally one of his policies in life is never
to turn in b'fore 4.00 in the night(morning!)every day)
Also,P.G.W's predeliction for aunts is quite overwhelming:aunt Connie,aunt Agatha,aunt
Hermione,aunt Diana...the list goes on..Every
youngster introduced is done so with a long line
of aunts trailing him/her!!
Another of P.G.W's interesting characters is
Comrade Psmith,the communist,possessor of a
profound vocabulory,who has the uncanny ability of
framing huge complex sentences out of the most
simple of statements!
(eg:Chided by a bank manager,about his intriguing
stare,he replies politely,saying:"I'm sorry if my
stare falls short in any view of ur ideals of what
a stare should be!")
P.G.W's musical comedies really do lit up a smile on even the most impassive sect of his readers..!
(Interestingly,Crazy Mohan himself once admitted
in a Vikatan interview,that his writings were inspired by P.G.W's lighter vein of writing,&
humorous color.)
meera:
That was a good write up on PGW, one of my all time fves.
Thanks Ramji..nice to discover some (hard to find)P.G.W's admirers out here...
If BW Wooster delights us with his stupidity Psmith does that with, as meera points out above, his grandiloquent style.
You should read that episode in "Leave it to Psmith" and see how he manages to find an umbrella for a strange girl who is held up in a bus-stop because of rain.
Psmith notices her stranded just as he came out of his club. He goes back to the cloak room of the club and picks the best umbrella, unmindful of the attendant's protests, and hands it over to that girl.
When it chances that he runs into her later in the same day that unknown girl thanks him and requests him to allow her to keep it until she reaches her home. He tells her not to bother about returning it. After she insisted upon returning it he gives the address to be returned as " Walderwick, ...."
The girl says "thank you Mr Walderwick" and Psmith is confused by her addressing him so and tells her
his name.
"Do you mean to say you are giving away the umbrella of another person?"
His reply is one of the best digs on communism.
"yes, While other people are content with mere talk of redistribution of property, I go one step further and practise it"
And that is not the end of that episode. When that Walderwick demands that Psmith return his umbrella
(or parasol) he consoles him saying how his name will be etched in the annals of history (by this act of donating the umbrella, although by proxy) along with the great names of people known for their kind deeds.
The whole book is hilarious.
I am a fan of PGW too. My favourite so far is "Code of the Woosters" - easily the funniest book I've ever read. This one is non-stop farce written in a most amusing manner. Critics have rightly described PGW as a musician of the English language.
Sun: If I remember rightly, one of Bertie's friends (is it Bingo Little) becomes Emsworth's secretary. Also, one of his n^2 fiances or her father is related to Emsworth.
SRK: The loony doctor Sir Roderick Glossop appears in both series. His daughter is the famour Honoria Glossop, engaged to Bertie, as usual for a book.
The secretary of Emsworth was Rupert Bauxter a mousy character very unlikely to be a friend of Bertie. But I do remember one of bertie's friends who needs 300 pounds to open a soup canteen in Picadilly circus, ends up kidnapping, nay pignapping, Empress of Blandings. so I was wrong there are more characters that appear in both series.
sun: True, but Baxter got dismissed. Who was the Lord's secretary after that? I guess it was one of Bertie's friends.
Sir Roderick Glossop was exactly the guy I was referring to. The scene when he comes to visit Bertie, rather to spy on his prospective son-in-law, is one of the most hilarious ones in "Code of the Woosters".
SRK: Bertie trying to puncture his hot water bottle with a needle at the end of a pole gets caught. Cant stop laughing just thinking about those episodes. Who was the guy who was depraved
enough to loop the last pair of ropes back and then challenge Bertie that he could not swing across the pool in Drones Club?
what is Psmith's full name?
P. G. WODEHOUSE! The very name is synonymous with Beauty of Language and Purity of Laughter! The amazing thing about P. G. Wodehouse is that although his language is at first difficult for non-English speaking people to comprehend fully, he is most enjoyed precisely in the non-English speaking world (outside Britain) and only rarely in the English-speaking Americas! The fact is that Indians have always enjoyed the beauty of language, whatever it may be - and PGW is a master-juggler of the English language, juggling it to the rarefied heights of comedy. Unlike so-called comedians of modern times, he does not resort to vulgarity to make people laugh. His comedy is the purest bliss! Besides, he has created a whole pantheon of characters, who, for variety and individuality, rank just below the pantheon created by Shakespeare. And that is some achievement!
What a wonderful thread!
PGW is, IMHO, the greatest writer of humour in the English language. Whenever I read his writings, the mood lightens, the blues are blown away and "all is right with the world". Not that this is anything new or unique. Just thought I will say it.
Here are a couple of his witticisms :
"I have always had the feeling that a violin solo appears to last longer than it actually does".
"He looked at her from top knot to shoe sole".
"In American companies people generally start off as Vice-Presidents and gradually become Managers".
I agree with u guys...PGW is the best ever!Why is it so hard to find him in a library anywhere in the US????I guess we understand his humour the best, what with having been ruled by the British for soooo long.
Can u imagine my surprise when I find a brand new hard bound copy of PGW`s 5 short works in the 50% off sale shelf of my school book store.I grabbed it immediately.It was the best $12 I ever spent.The lady at the check out counter says"P.G.Wodehouse....never heard of him".You don`t know what you are missing lady,is all I could think!
Aarthi :
I think the libraries in the US stock books written by Americans or there is a mention of the US somewhere in the work :-).
I feel that is the reason that all of PGW's works are not available freely. Moreover PGW's books were also published in the US albeit with different titles.
Aarthy:
Are you the budding poet that I know? PGW can be a life long companion. Besides humor, you can read him for the sheer beauty of the language.
He said: " I believe there are two ways of writng novels. One is mine, making a sort of musical comedy without music and ignoring life altogether; the other is going right deep down into life and not caring a damn."
Do you know he became a US citizen?
No I did`nt know he became a US citizen..Interesting trivia!
No I am not the budding poet you know-Ramji.
Does anyone know if one can get him at Barnes and Noble or Borders?
I belong to that school of thought that believes that good old plum was one of the greatest exponents of the english language. If there was a person who could breathe life into the language it was Wodehouse. His language has character and that too a distinct one. Whenever I read a Wodehouse I get the feeling that those are not merely simple words put in there. Every phrase, every word seems to leap out of the pages like impish schoolboys and make fantastic faces at you, so much so that you cannot but break out into uncontrollable laughter.
Wodehouse stories ( if one can call them that that is) for me have another very important facet. They seem to be, to me a shameless celebration of life. I at times also sit down and wonder at the genius of the human being, as to how being a part of the times that we live in could have had the strength to view and the capacity to share so much beauty and goodness.
Wodehouses world was as has been already said _idyllic_ but let us not forget that it does take a lot of beauty of spirit and strength of mind to even envisage an idyllic world.
Read somewhere that Plum used to write 16 hours a day!
I have been a huge fan of PG Wodehouse since the seventies! My all time favorite author. I agree that he is not nearly as big in America as you would expect...I usually get a blank stare when I speak of him which is incomprehensible to me....
I am divided between Blandings Castle and Bertie and Jeeves...my heart is torn.
Oh, he is at Barnes and Nobel, and also ebay....
I have been a huge fan of PG Wodehouse since the seventies! My all time favorite author. I agree that he is not nearly as big in America as you would expect...I usually get a blank stare when I speak of him which is incomprehensible to me....
I am divided between Blandings Castle and Bertie and Jeeves...my heart is torn.
Oh, he is at Barnes and Nobel, and also ebay....
He did right a lot of books. But can someone make a list of his all time great comedy books.
Hi,
Yes I like Wodehouse a lot. I think Jeeves is the greatest. Aunt Agatha is sweet too, for all her terrorising tactics.
Jyothi
Hi,
Yes I like Wodehouse a lot. I think Jeeves is the greatest. Aunt Agatha is sweet too, for all her terrorising tactics.
Jyothi
Aarti
and this may probably apply to others too. Barnes and Noble is a good place, but the places that really work for me are used book shops. In the south bay (CA) there are such haunts in Palo Alto (University ave)and Mountain View (Castro Street). On good days Ive bought a couple of PGW's for as little as five quid.
I believe one can enjoy his works better with some background in English litt (not that I have any), what with there being multiple references to the old poet and other greek persona's.
Hey the wodehouse guy .. the one who made my heart go haywire on jeeves .Oh I really love him do I? Everytime i plunge into jeeves or bertie or Aunt Agatha or the whole bunch of firecrackers ,I'm totally lost .. in a world of fun and frolic away from the rat race. If you aren't a wodehouse reader you've lost something (substantial) in life. So never too late. Pick up one and lie on a hammock coz that's the best place to enjoy a wodehouse. Bye luv Ya.
Glad to have spotted this thread. Am a hopeless Wodehouse fan. Like Connie, my heart too is split between Blandings Castle with its Emsworths and the Jeeves series. However, I very often lean towards Blandings.
Only a genius of his kind who so exuberantly mocks at the English aristocracy could come up with names like Gussy Finknottle, Stiffy Bing, Stinker Pinker etc.
To the issue of the no.of books he has written, I think the entire collection numbers between 90 and 100. This may or may not include the screenplays I beleive he has written for some Hollywood productions.
What Ho ! buddies, with knobs on. If you can think of a better thing to have happened to mankind than PGW, you can have it.
Cheers, all of you.
I LOVE PGW's Novels!!!
his style, humour and english are without par!!!
The best character I like is PSMITH! I am surprised that no one has said anything about my favourite character so far!!!!!
It would be more fruitful if some discussion takes place about the characters, plot, Wodehouses penchant and flair for bombastic words, etc.
(Once in a while I'll post a fondly remembered scene from PGW. May be it will spark discussions
Arthus Avalon is asking for. May be others can do so too. Let us give a name and number to these references so that follow ups can refer to them clearly)
--Psmith: Meets Man with a bush on lapel #0001--
Psmith as the detective arranges to meet someone he has not seen before. Psmith asks the other guy to wear a chrysanthemum on his lapel for identification. Other guy goes to a flower shop and finds to his dismay the flower was six inches in diameter and strains the coat lapel. There was a coded exchange too for identification. Psmith is late for the meeting. This guy ends up asking everyone in the waiting room of Drones Club if it was raining in Shrophshire. Then Psmith wanders around and locates him and says, "What are you doing with that bush on your coat?". Turns out Psmith meant a carnation not the mum. Hilarious descriptions all the way during this episode.
-----end of 0001-----------------------
[For tamils: Remember the movie "sattam en kaiyil"? There the coded exhange between two smugglers is "It is raining in Mount Road (mount rodula mazahi peyyuthu)", "Yes,So it must be Friday (aamaa, innikku veLLik kizhamai)". Almost
identical to the coded exchange in #0001]
hi ravi sundaram,
i remember this one very well. actually i think that its the otherway round. Freddie (of blandings castle) asks Psmith to wear this. :) its a very funny thing.
in the same novel, there is a part where psmith tries to woo a girl. you should read the part where he proposes to her!! Its totally hilarious!!!
Psmith gives away the umbrella of some Drones Club member the flower shop girl right?
--------Barbazon Plank Major, Minor, Miner--#0002
Uncle Dynamite's name slips my mind, please help.
He claims to be Major Barbazon Plank, returning
from an Expdition to the Amazaon. Constable Potter knows the real Major Barbazon Plank and confronts
him and asks for an explantion.
This is how he wiggles out: (paraphrased by me
not an exact quote)
"My dear Potter, I dont blame you, many like you
have been confused. When I said Barbazon Plank,
the major, many people confuse me, like you apparently have, with my younger
brother Major Barbazon Plank, the minor."
Seeing Potter's eyes glaze over and not the one who to quit while he is ahead, he continued,
"By a curious coincidence I ended up in Africa and
America prospecting and eventually owning a goodly few mines in many parts of the world, Thus you see, I am the miner Barbazon Plank, the major. And my brother, having been promoted to the rank of Major for his services to Her Majesty, is the Major Barbazon Plank, the minor. So that should clear up any confusion you had my dear". He walked away leaving Constable Potter by the pond staring vacantly at the horizon making strange noises.
End of -----------#0002
ravi:
The majorminor piece used to be one of my fves but I dont have the book now. Thanks for the nostalgic trip.
Uncle Dynamite? hmmmm.... Lord Ickenham?
Dont remember in which one, a guy tells this joke during an after-dinner conversation. It is about two guys on a train who are short of hearing.
The train is just entering a station and A looks out the window apparently to see what station it was.
B: Is it Wensley?
A: No, it is Thursday.
B: So am I, let us get down for a drink.