While
Wodehouse set a good number of his novels and stories in London and New York, a
staggering number were also set in country houses. This is more than fine by me, a shameless
Downton Abbey devotee. Aside from being
a crucial part of upper class living, they also provide an environment where
characters are thrown into high relief, and enemies are forced to cope with one
another at dinner. The countryside also
provides much amusement in simply getting around. In The Mating Season (I think, it might be another
one), there is a famous bit where Bertie has to go to and fro on a bicycle in
the middle of the night to retrieve a key.
People dash off with furious desperation to catch milk trains to avoid
sticky situations. Had the story been in
a major city, one could simply hail a cab, which is very efficient but does not
provide the same comic scope.
The
book I read in August, Thank You, Jeeves, is a prime example of the country
house book, although there is also a yacht and a cottage thrown in for good
measure. There are a couple of
interesting variations on a theme with this novel. First off, this is one of the earlier
examples that I know of in Wodehouse where the owner of the estate is in a
tight financial position. This is an acknowledgement
that the high death duties (akin to estate taxes in the US) that were imposed
by the government in the early 20th nearly wiped out the members of
the upper class who were land rich but cash poor. Many had to sell off land, valuable artwork,
jewelry, and sometimes even the main house itself in order to render unto
Caesar that which is Caesar’s. The theme
of financially desperate gentry winds throughout the Wodehouse oeuvre, making
them vulnerable to get rich quick schemes, or, causing them to fall in love
with rich Americans whose deep pockets will sort out everything.
The
second variation is that Jeeves is temporarily out of Bertie’s employment
following a disagreement between the two about a banjolele. The interesting thing is that it is Jeeves,
rather than the socially superior Bertie, who is living in the manor house
while Bertie has rented a cottage to avoid some disagreeable neighbors in the
metropolis. The position of these two
characters tells us all that we need to know: that Bertie literally cannot
maintain his position in comfort without his trusty valet. In fact, Jeeve’s replacement incinerates the
cottage, temporarily rendering Bertie homeless.
Again, had this been in London, Bertie could simply spent the night at
his club. But that’s the problem with
the country, everything is a little bit more difficult, and thank goodness for
that, because it makes for a very good read.
