Among other things, Summer Lightning features the
return of Lord Emsworth’s former secretary to the castle. The efficient Baxter is probably one of the
more sane individuals ever to inhabit Blandings Castle. During his tenure, correspondences were
dispatched in a timely manner and document signed, with the result that Lord
Emsworth spent far too little time with his beloved prize-winning pig, the
Empress of Blandings. It is probably
because of his even-tempered approach to Lord Emsworth’s business affairs that
he is the only one to be out rightly accused of insanity. His dismissal followed an episode when he was
caught throwing flower pots at his employer’s window in the dead of night. Unfortunately for Baxter, his activities
following his return follow in a similar vein.
The world of Wodehouse is ruled by those who might be called
slightly unhinged. Although stern types
such as lord Emsworth’s sister of Bertie Wooster’s Aunt Agatha try to impose
reason on their nearest and dearest, the truth is that they often fail in this
quest. While this might seem to be a
comic inversion of the “real world,” the longer that I reside on this planet,
the more I am convinced that it is only a slight exaggeration of our
reality. Spode might seem to be an
amusing figure with his interest in lingerie, but were he to annex the Crimea,
we might be singing a different tune.
While I was reading, I felt torn. I was rooting, as always, for Baxter’s
downfall. At the same time, I had to
admit to myself that, of all of Wodehouse’s characters, he might be the one who
comes closest to me in personality. It
made me wonder if the same could be said of a number of people. There are very few real life risk-takers in
this world. Most of us prefer to keep
our heads down and get on with things.
According to Wodehouse, this approach to life results in ridicule and
being kept from what one truly wants.
Better to be considered slightly eccentric than to be doomed to a life
of efficient mediocrity. After all,
upright behavior can get you kicked out of the castle.
