There is an ongoing debate amongst Wodehouse devotees about the extent to which the author was politically aware. The origin of this debate centers on a series of radio broadcasts that he made during World War II which can make him seem sympathetic to the Germans. Stated in those harsh terms, it seems as though Plum was a fascist.
Context, of course, is everything.
If my memory serves, Plum and his wife were being held as enemy
aliens. He had not seen Ethel for a
while and, given his level of affection for his spouse, I can only imagine how
frantic he felt. Granted, he was
British, so the frenzy was bubbling very deeply beneath the surface, but bubble
it did. I can’t say that I would not do
the same under similar circumstances.
Why the Nazi party thought that he was the ideal candidate to make
pro-Germany statements to the US to try to keep them out of the war is beyond
me. If David Sedaris started supporting
the Tea Party, I would turn a deaf ear.
The same holds with other authors of lighter literature. Many of the fans of Ender’s Game have
problems with the author’s views on homosexuality. I’ve never read the books, but I have yet to
meet someone who had who became homophobic because he or she read the
works. Of course, there is always the
argument about supporting such a person by buying their works. This is complicated and each person has to
follow their own conscience. To my mind,
the notion that a beloved writer would be able to sway the thoughts of a nation
probably came from the same group of geniuses who thought that paying a social
call on the Soviets in the dead of winter was a cunning plan.*
One of the arguments justifying Wodehouse’s actions, devised by MI5,
was that he was politically naive. At
one time, this made sense to me. Upon
further reflection, however, I am beginning to sincerely doubt this. The satirical creation of Roderick Spode is
not the work of an anti-political mind. Another
piece of evidence came in Psmith, Journalist, my January Wodehouse selection. This book sends out heroes, Mike and the
titular Psmith, sojourning to New York.
There, Psmith becomes involved in a journalistic crusade against a
slumlord. Listening to Psmith pontificating
about social justice, etc., felt eerily similar to listening to one’s early
20-something cousin who has recently become politically conscious. Said cousin is convinced that he must change
your mind, because certainly these astounding revelations could never have been
made by anyone before. In short, these
parts were a little tedious to read.
While they might have been tedious, the words could not have been
written by someone who was deaf to political situations. While lacking in satire, they are rife with
sincerity. Last night’s Oscars reminded
me that comic actors have also delivered devastating dramatic
performances. Wodehouse in WWII was
called upon to make a choice. In the
end, the events suggest that he went with his heart. He had to deal with the ramifications for the
rest of his life and imposed a self-exile from the UK. Although the post-WW II tax situation has
been documented to have played a role in Wodehouse’s decision, I wonder if the
move was made in part because he could not fully face what he had been forced
to do.
*This does call into question the thought about the transformative
power of literature. I do believe that
it exists, and that a book can be very powerful. But, in this instance, I really do wonder
what the Germans were on about.
