March’s Wodehouse selection is probably best described as a
delightful European romp. American women
are drawn to France, shenanigans ensue, and there is a very happy romantic
ending. Given the plot elements of
disguised identities and convoluted marriage schemes, one could almost imagine
that Shakespeare could have concocted this one, that is, if he had been alive
and well in the 20th century.
Where the book swerves off its Shakespearean path is its
catalyst. The plot is propelled not by a
horrific storm or by the naked desire for power, but by money. Our heroines are able to travel only thanks
to a windfall. The male romantic lead
arrives at the French resort that serves as the book’s setting not on a
holiday, but rather to pursue a publishing contract. His father is also trying to better his
lot. An impoverished French aristocrat,
he is seeking an investor for his latest in a series of get-rich-quick
schemes. Even the wealthy American
female antagonist is trying to improve her stock portfolio by arranging a union
between the heirs of two water companies.
It is difficult to know what to make of all of this
financial anxiety. Certainly, this is
not the only Wodehouse text that has the pursuit of filthy lucre as a primary
motivation. Even in Shakespeare’s work,
it is possible to argue that the happiest of marriages that are produced at the
finale involve an element of financial improvement. Perhaps this forthright Wodehousian
preoccupation with money is a reflection of his time. After all, he lived through two World Wars
and a major economic depression. The
subject also had a personal element, as he eschewed the land of his birth for a
residence in the US mostly to avoid the UK’s income tax. Money and love are both very personal
elements for Plum, so perhaps it is not so odd to see them intertwined
frequently in his works.
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