PG Wodehouse liked to write amusing stories for the general public – “gay if you see what I mean, rollicking if you still follow me and debonair” (Author’s Preface to “Thank You Jeeves”). His unforgettable characters, especially Bertie Wooster and his butler, Jeeves, make the stories funny.

Bertie is a member of the English privileged class, a real gentleman. He is often put upon to share his ample supply of money with his friends, Bingo being the main perpetrator. Bertie likes to gamble, his people skills are lacking and so he often gets into trouble. He has a passion for outlandish clothes, such as his fruity cummerbund, Old Etonian spats and bright purple socks, much to the dismay of the conservative Jeeves.

Jeeves is very brainy, putting his superior intellect to use in the various difficult circumstances in which Bertie finds himself. Jeeves is the brains of the outfit although he is a member of the working class. He has his face straight at all times, never fazed except by Bertie’s fashion crimes. Jeeves always backs the winning horse. Much of the humour of the stories derives from the servant being smarter and luckier than the master.

Bertie is fun to be with, but is just an olive short of a martini. I like him because he always tries to do what he thinks is the right thing, but it always backfires. In life you always see the people who are full of life (Berties) getting into trouble and the clever, studious people (Jeeveses) trying to get them out of it. That is why these stories, written in the 1930s, still touch nerves as well as involving us.

Wodehouse uses a casual mixture of upper-class speech patterns and educated English. The style can be confusing for the first couple of pages but once you get used to it you have a good laugh and realize that it is very clever. There is racy dialogue.

PG Wodehouse also attempted to tackle the issues of his day, including the need for social reform during the depression, in “Comrade Bingo”, and the hazards of being single in a sexist society – in all the stories. Wodehouse claims, “I believe that there are two ways of writing 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.” (“The Inimitable Jeeves”, Introduction). However I believe that he went deeper than he was prepared to admit. “The Inimitable Jeeves” contains light satire as well as ultra light farce.

Wodehouse was born in Guildford, Surrey, in 1881 and was educated at Dulwich College. He became a popular journalist and novelist, writing over 90 books, including “Carry On, Jeeves”, “Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit”, “Jeeves in the Offing”, “Thank You, Jeeves” and “Very Good, Jeeves”. He was made a Knight of the British Empire in 1975 and he died that same year on Valentine’s Day, at the ripe old age of 93.

My favoured genre is the fantasy novel. I appreciate a writer’s use of imagination in creating an alternative world into which the reader can escape. However, after being introduced to these books by my persistent mother, I branched out into some other areas of literature. I like historical novels and “The Inimitable Jeeves” interests me in the same way.

My challenge to my readers is, see if you can tear yourself away from your usual fodder and try a Jeeves-and-Bertie book. You may want to consume them all.

Year 10 English book review