{"id":2599,"date":"2025-02-01T13:56:58","date_gmt":"2025-02-01T19:56:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/node615.namehero.net\/~wodehous\/?page_id=2599"},"modified":"2025-10-16T10:00:40","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T15:00:40","slug":"about-pgw","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wodehouse.org\/test\/about-pgw\/","title":{"rendered":"About P. G.  Wodehouse"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;Hero&#8221; module_id=&#8221;overview&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;gcid-51d58238-cdd6-4561-b27c-b04102b7f18e&#8221; background_enable_image=&#8221;off&#8221; background_size=&#8221;contain&#8221; background_position=&#8221;center_right&#8221; background_horizontal_offset=&#8221;4%&#8221; background_enable_mask_style=&#8221;on&#8221; background_mask_style=&#8221;diagonal&#8221; background_mask_color=&#8221;gcid-51d58238-cdd6-4561-b27c-b04102b7f18e&#8221; min_height=&#8221;100vh&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0vw||0vw||true|false&#8221; background_last_edited=&#8221;on|tablet&#8221; background_enable_image_tablet=&#8221;off&#8221; background_enable_image_phone=&#8221;off&#8221; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; collapsed=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-51d58238-cdd6-4561-b27c-b04102b7f18e%22:%91%22background_color%22,%22background_mask_color%22%93}&#8221;][et_pb_row column_structure=&#8221;1_2,1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;5138c454-be54-4233-bd3b-f8e6a8747976&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;5vw||||false|false&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.23.1&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;73121f80-a3ef-4484-8763-c3f18e3c56d2&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_heading title=&#8221;An introduction to&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;Page Heading text&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;f0c675ea-2574-4d0e-b725-30f8550a8550&#8243; title_font=&#8221;Josefin Sans|Peinot_weight||on|||||&#8221; title_text_color=&#8221;#1d3557&#8243; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22#1d3557%22:%91%22title_text_color%22%93}&#8221;][\/et_pb_heading][et_pb_heading title=&#8221;P. G. Wodehouse&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;P. G. Wodehouse text&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;ddeb8c09-9078-4424-bc15-2efb6572e28e&#8221; title_font=&#8221;&#8211;et_global_heading_font|Peinot_weight|||||||&#8221; title_text_color=&#8221;#111111&#8243; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_heading][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first thing you should know, and probably the last, too, is that PG Wodehouse is still the funniest writer ever to have put words on paper.<br \/>&#8211; Hugh Laurie, <\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Daily Telegraph<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, May 27, 1999<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>Born in England in 1881, Wodehouse was still at school when he earned his first half-guinea as a writer with \u201cSome Aspects of Game-Captaincy\u201d (<i>Public School Magazine<\/i>, February 1900). Seventy-five years later he was still writing, working on another book featuring Lord Emsworth when he died; it was published posthumously as <i>Sunset at Blandings<\/i>. He produced more than seventy novels; hundreds of short stories; around forty plays; and innumerable articles, poems, song lyrics, and other literary morceaux\u2014an output so prodigious that not all his work is yet known: Scholars are still unearthing his material in now-defunct publications many years after his death. But more impressive than the quantity of his works is the quality. This has been pointed out repeatedly by fellow writers including T. S. Eliot (\u201cHe has set a standard which other writers can aspire to but never attain\u201d), Douglas Adams (\u201cHe is the greatest musician of the English language\u201d), and many more.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.23.1&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;73121f80-a3ef-4484-8763-c3f18e3c56d2&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_image src=&#8221;https:\/\/wodehouse.org\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/P.G._Wodehouse_1930.jpg&#8221; title_text=&#8221;P.G._Wodehouse,_1930&#8243; disabled_on=&#8221;off|off|off&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;illustration image&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; border_width_all=&#8221;6px&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c&#8221; border_style_all=&#8221;double&#8221; box_shadow_style=&#8221;preset1&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c%22:%91%22border_color_all%22%93}&#8221;][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;gcid-241cb457-aeb3-4f68-b3dd-63a6046634e7&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;||20px||false|false&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-241cb457-aeb3-4f68-b3dd-63a6046634e7%22:%91%22background_color%22%93}&#8221;][et_pb_row column_structure=&#8221;1_4,3_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;gcid-51d58238-cdd6-4561-b27c-b04102b7f18e&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;20px|20px|20px|20px|true|true&#8221; border_width_all=&#8221;6px&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c&#8221; border_style_all=&#8221;double&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c%22:%91%22border_color_all%22%93,%22gcid-51d58238-cdd6-4561-b27c-b04102b7f18e%22:%91%22background_color%22%93}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_image src=&#8221;https:\/\/wodehouse.org\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/About-PGW-Young-Plum-casual.jpg&#8221; title_text=&#8221;About PGW-Young Plum casual&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;photo&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; border_width_all=&#8221;6px&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c&#8221; border_style_all=&#8221;double&#8221; box_shadow_style=&#8221;preset1&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c%22:%91%22border_color_all%22%93}&#8221;][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_heading title=&#8221;P. G. Wodehouse&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;photo label&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;ba4a6336-701f-47b8-bf5c-09da0ce28016&#8243; title_font=&#8221;&#8211;et_global_heading_font|Peinot_weight||||on|||&#8221; title_text_align=&#8221;center&#8221; title_text_color=&#8221;#111111&#8243; title_font_size=&#8221;33px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_heading][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;3_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;page copy&#8230; born in England&#8230;&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Privately, Wodehouse lived a rather ordinary life, a happily married man with an adopted daughter he adored and a penchant for avoiding scandal\u2014until controversy and tragedy overtook him during World War II. This resulted in his move in 1947 to the USA, where he lived the last 28 years of his life with his wife, Ethel; he became an American citizen in 1955. Those years were spent, of course, in continuing to write the comic fiction that made him so loved and admired around the world. His 80th birthday in 1961 and his 90th in 1971 were celebrated in print and on the air with tributes to \u201cThe Master\u201d from friends, avid fans, and fellow writers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][dmpro_masonry_gallery images=&#8221;2603&#8243; caption_in_lightbox=&#8221;on&#8221; columns=&#8221;1&#8243; use_thumbnails=&#8221;on&#8221; image_size_desktop=&#8221;medium&#8221; image_size_tablet=&#8221;medium&#8221; image_size_phone=&#8221;medium&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;Photo Gallery edited from here&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; border_width_all=&#8221;6px&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c&#8221; border_style_all=&#8221;double&#8221; box_shadow_style_images=&#8221;preset1&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c%22:%91%22border_color_all%22%93}&#8221;][\/dmpro_masonry_gallery][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=&#8221;2_3,1_3&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;gcid-51d58238-cdd6-4561-b27c-b04102b7f18e&#8221; width=&#8221;90%&#8221; max_width=&#8221;2560px&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;20px||20px||false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;20px|20px|20px|20px|false|false&#8221; border_width_all=&#8221;6px&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c&#8221; border_style_all=&#8221;double&#8221; border_width_right=&#8221;6px&#8221; border_color_right=&#8221;gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c&#8221; border_style_right=&#8221;double&#8221; border_width_left=&#8221;6px&#8221; border_color_left=&#8221;gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c&#8221; border_style_left=&#8221;double&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c%22:%91%22border_color_right%22,%22border_color_left%22,%22border_color_all%22%93,%22gcid-51d58238-cdd6-4561-b27c-b04102b7f18e%22:%91%22background_color%22%93}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;2_3&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Evelyn Waugh quote&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#FFFFFF&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;20px|20px|20px|20px|false|false&#8221; border_width_all=&#8221;6px&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c&#8221; border_style_all=&#8221;double&#8221; box_shadow_style=&#8221;preset1&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-primary-color%22:%91%22link_text_color%22%93,%22gcid-heading-color%22:%91%22header_text_color%22,%22header_4_text_color%22,%22header_3_text_color%22,%22header_2_text_color%22,%22header_5_text_color%22,%22header_6_text_color%22,%22quote_text_color%22%93,%22gcid-body-color%22:%91%22text_text_color%22%93,%22gcid-secondary-color%22:%91%22quote_border_color%22%93,%22gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c%22:%91%22border_color_all%22%93}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mr. Wodehouse&#8217;s idyllic world can never stale. He will continue to release future generations from captivity that may be more irksome than our own. He has made a world for us to live in and delight in.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013Evelyn Waugh, radio broadcast, 1961<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_3&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_image src=&#8221;https:\/\/wodehouse.org\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pgwodehouseinhiscar.jpg&#8221; title_text=&#8221;pgwodehouseinhiscar&#8221; align=&#8221;center&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;Plum in Car photo&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; border_width_all=&#8221;6px&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c&#8221; border_style_all=&#8221;double&#8221; box_shadow_style=&#8221;preset1&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c%22:%91%22border_color_all%22%93}&#8221;][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;Person Biography&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;gcid-241cb457-aeb3-4f68-b3dd-63a6046634e7&#8243; background_enable_mask_style=&#8221;on&#8221; background_mask_style=&#8221;square-stripes&#8221; background_mask_color=&#8221;gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c&#8221; background_mask_transform=&#8221;flip_horizontal&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;-2px||0px||false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;20px||0px||false|false&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c%22:%91%22background_mask_color%22%93,%22gcid-241cb457-aeb3-4f68-b3dd-63a6046634e7%22:%91%22background_color%22%93}&#8221;][et_pb_row column_structure=&#8221;2_5,3_5&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;gcid-51d58238-cdd6-4561-b27c-b04102b7f18e&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|30px|0px|30px|true|true&#8221; border_width_all=&#8221;6px&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c&#8221; border_style_all=&#8221;double&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c%22:%91%22border_color_all%22%93,%22gcid-51d58238-cdd6-4561-b27c-b04102b7f18e%22:%91%22background_color%22%93}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;2_5&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_image src=&#8221;https:\/\/wodehouse.org\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/About-PGW-Plum-seated.jpg&#8221; title_text=&#8221;About PGW-Plum seated&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;PGW photo&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;20px||||false|false&#8221; border_width_all=&#8221;6px&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c&#8221; border_style_all=&#8221;double&#8221; box_shadow_style=&#8221;preset1&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c%22:%91%22border_color_all%22%93}&#8221;][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;3_5&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;PGW Page Copy&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;20px||20px||true|false&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-primary-color%22:%91%22link_text_color%22,%22link_text_color%22%93,%22gcid-heading-color%22:%91%22header_text_color%22,%22header_4_text_color%22,%22header_3_text_color%22,%22header_2_text_color%22,%22header_5_text_color%22,%22header_6_text_color%22,%22quote_text_color%22,%22header_text_color%22,%22header_4_text_color%22,%22header_3_text_color%22,%22header_2_text_color%22,%22header_5_text_color%22,%22header_6_text_color%22,%22quote_text_color%22%93,%22gcid-body-color%22:%91%22text_text_color%22,%22text_text_color%22%93,%22gcid-secondary-color%22:%91%22quote_border_color%22,%22quote_border_color%22%93}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shortly before his death on St Valentine\u2019s Day in 1975, \u201cPlum\u201d became Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE. Since then, his popularity has only increased thanks to television productions of his stories, social media, the worldwide web, and Wodehouse Societies around the globe. His innumerable admirers today include Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, who played Jeeves and Bertie Wooster on the TV series <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jeeves and Wooster<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the early 1990s; Andrew Lloyd Webber and Alan Ayckbourn, who created the musical <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By Jeeves<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 1975 and then staged a successful revival in the mid-1990s; and a wide variety of authors, actors, musicians, politicians, and other famous fans who bask in Wodehouse\u2019s unique comic style, his ear for the music to be found in English prose, and his unerringly funny depictions of a world now lost to time but always alive in his writing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is no better marker of Wodehouse\u2019s enduring influence on the English language than the innumerable quotations and references that show up constantly in books, magazines, newspapers, and even dictionaries. More than 1,600 Wodehouse quotations can be found in the second edition of the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oxford English Dictionary<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (1989), which makes him one of the most-often-quoted writers in the dictionary, if not the world; only Shakespeare and the Bible surpass him. He is also popular among translators, his works having been published in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Dutch, Russian, and Japanese, and probably other languages as well.\u00a0<\/span><i><\/i><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>For a downloadable timeline of Wodehouse&#8217;s life, scroll down to the end of the page.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_video src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=skUTvRZTFJM&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;PGW Interview Video YouTube link&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; module_alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||20px||false|false&#8221; border_width_all=&#8221;6px&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c&#8221; border_style_all=&#8221;double&#8221; box_shadow_style=&#8221;preset3&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c%22:%91%22border_color_all%22%93}&#8221;][\/et_pb_video][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;gcid-51d58238-cdd6-4561-b27c-b04102b7f18e&#8221; width=&#8221;90%&#8221; max_width=&#8221;2560px&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;20px||||false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;20px|30px||30px|false|false&#8221; border_width_all=&#8221;6px&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;#CCBA78&#8243; border_style_all=&#8221;double&#8221; box_shadow_style=&#8221;preset3&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-51d58238-cdd6-4561-b27c-b04102b7f18e%22:%91%22background_color%22%93}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_team_member name=&#8221;P. G. Wodehouse&#8221; position=&#8221;Over Seventy (1956)&#8221; image_url=&#8221;https:\/\/wodehouse.org\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Over-Seventy-P-G-Wodehouse.jpg&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;Over Seventy Quote&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; position_text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#FFFFFF&#8221; module_alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;20px|20px|20px|20px|true|true&#8221; border_width_all=&#8221;6px&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c&#8221; border_style_all=&#8221;double&#8221; box_shadow_style_image=&#8221;preset1&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-heading-color%22:%91%22header_text_color%22,%22header_text_color%22%93,%22gcid-body-color%22:%91%22body_text_color%22,%22position_text_color%22,%22body_text_color%22,%22position_text_color%22%93,%22gcid-primary-color%22:%91%22icon_color%22,%22body_link_text_color%22,%22icon_color%22,%22body_link_text_color%22%93,%22gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c%22:%91%22border_color_all%22%93}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From my earliest years I had always wanted to be a writer. I started turning out the stuff at the age of five.<br \/>(What I was doing before that, I don\u2019t remember. Just loafing, I suppose.)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_team_member][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=&#8221;3_4,1_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;gcid-51d58238-cdd6-4561-b27c-b04102b7f18e&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;20px||||false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;|20px||20px|false|false&#8221; border_width_all=&#8221;6px&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c&#8221; border_style_all=&#8221;double&#8221; box_shadow_style=&#8221;preset1&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-51d58238-cdd6-4561-b27c-b04102b7f18e%22:%91%22background_color%22%93,%22gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c%22:%91%22border_color_all%22%93}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;3_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Where to Start Reading Wodehouse copy&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2>Where to Start Reading Wodehouse<\/h2>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Sure Foundation for a Beautiful Friendship\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>by Elliott Milstein<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>When an author has published nearly 100 books \u2013 most of them still in print \u2013 the neophyte can find it a little daunting trying to figure out where to start. We at The Wodehouse Society want to make this process as easy as possible, so we offer these few tips to those who are looking to begin, or to those devoted fans looking for advice on how to get a friend hooked.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Purists often approach a new author with the intent to begin at the beginning and go on till they come to the end, and then stop. Sage advice from the King of Hearts, and appropriate in many circs, but, unless one is inordinately fond of 19th-century boys\u2019 school stories, not the perfect strategy for enjoying the works of P. G. Wodehouse.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of Wodehouse\u2019s great gifts as a writer was his ability to run storylines through several books while ensuring that each book stands alone, even if it is a direct sequel to another. So, in a sense, one cannot make a mistake in beginning anywhere. But one must admit that there is some unevenness in the canon, and it would be an unfortunate situation if a newbie began by randomly picking up, say, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Doctor Sally<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If I Were You<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, thereby making that misguided person wonder, \u201cWhy do people read this and think it\u2019s funny?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We believe the best starting point for one entering Wodehouse\u2019s World would be something plucked from near the middle of the list (assuming a list in order of quality): something like his 15th or 20th best book. This would be of high enough quality that the new reader will fully appreciate Wodehouse\u2019s genius while still having plenty of higher quality stuff to look forward to.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We also believe it best to start with something from one of his two great <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sagas<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Blandings Castle or Jeeves\/Wooster. So the first task of the kindly individual who is about to open a new, wonderful world for a friend is to choose between the two. This is more art than science, but as a general rule, if your friend prefers elegiac prose of the third-person variety, one would travel to Shropshire for a stay with Lord Emsworth, while if they prefer snappy prose and the wilder humor of a first-person narrative, drop in at Berkeley Mansions or Brinkley Court for a weekend with Mr. B. Wooster.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The second choice is whether to begin with a novel or book of short stories. If your friend is a little wary of beginning a new author, often the short stories are the best route. In such a case we would recommend beginning with either <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blandings Castle and Elsewhere<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Very Good, Jeeves<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. If you feel they are ready to tackle a novel first shot out of the gate, we recommend <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Service with a Smile<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for the Blandings Bunch or <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thank You, Jeeves<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for those who prefer life in Wooster House. The nice thing about <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Service with a Smile<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is that the cast of characters is somewhat smaller than other Blandings books (making it easier on the newcomer), and it includes Uncle Fred, making it extra special, while still holding <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Uncle Fred in the Springtime<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heavy Weather<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for even greater enjoyment later on. The best thing about <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thank You, Jeeves<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is that it is the first Jeeves novel, thus preparing the reader for <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Right Ho, Jeeves<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Code of the Woosters<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in chronological order (which, again, is not necessary, but, yes, it is nice when things work out that way).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finally, one slight deviation from the above recommendation: If your friend is a golfer, then you really must begin with the golf stories, and it really doesn\u2019t matter which one. In fact, just go with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<\/span><\/i> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Golf Omnibus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and call it a day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But don\u2019t stress over it too much. With only a few exceptions, you\u2019re not likely to go terribly wrong even if you randomly pull a Penguin or Everyman edition of <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">anything<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from your library shelf and hand it over. Don\u2019t worry. They\u2019ll be back for seconds in no time at all.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][dmpro_masonry_gallery images=&#8221;15777394,15777395,15777396,15777397&#8243; columns=&#8221;1&#8243; use_thumbnails=&#8221;on&#8221; fix_lazy=&#8221;on&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;Photo Gallery &#8211; editable from here&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; box_shadow_style_images=&#8221;preset3&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/dmpro_masonry_gallery][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;gcid-241cb457-aeb3-4f68-b3dd-63a6046634e7&#8243; custom_margin=&#8221;0px||||false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;10px||||false|false&#8221; bottom_divider_style=&#8221;slant2&#8243; bottom_divider_color=&#8221;gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c&#8221; bottom_divider_height=&#8221;32px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-484d413a-49bb-4287-be23-38c266b6899c%22:%91%22bottom_divider_color%22%93}&#8221;][et_pb_row column_structure=&#8221;3_5,2_5&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; width=&#8221;90%&#8221; max_width=&#8221;2560px&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;0px||0px||false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;10px||10px||false|false&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;3_5&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text disabled_on=&#8221;off|off|off&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;Timeline and Resources Paragraph&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_text_color=&#8221;#FFFFFF&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;20px&#8221; link_text_color=&#8221;#FFFFFF&#8221; header_3_text_color=&#8221;#FFFFFF&#8221; header_4_font=&#8221;&#8211;et_global_heading_font|&#8211;et_global_heading_font_weight||||on|||&#8221; header_4_text_color=&#8221;#FFFFFF&#8221; background_color=&#8221;gcid-241cb457-aeb3-4f68-b3dd-63a6046634e7&#8243; text_orientation=&#8221;center&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||-26px||false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;20px||||false|false&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-heading-color%22:%91%22header_text_color%22,%22header_4_text_color%22,%22header_3_text_color%22,%22header_2_text_color%22,%22header_5_text_color%22,%22header_6_text_color%22,%22quote_text_color%22,%22header_text_color%22,%22header_4_text_color%22,%22header_2_text_color%22,%22header_5_text_color%22,%22header_6_text_color%22,%22quote_text_color%22,%22header_text_color%22,%22header_2_text_color%22,%22header_5_text_color%22,%22header_6_text_color%22,%22quote_text_color%22,%22header_text_color%22,%22header_2_text_color%22,%22header_5_text_color%22,%22header_6_text_color%22,%22quote_text_color%22%93,%22gcid-body-color%22:%91%22text_text_color%22,%22text_text_color%22,%22text_text_color%22%93,%22gcid-secondary-color%22:%91%22quote_border_color%22,%22quote_border_color%22,%22quote_border_color%22,%22quote_border_color%22%93,%22gcid-241cb457-aeb3-4f68-b3dd-63a6046634e7%22:%91%22background_color%22%93}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">For more on Wodehouse\u2019s life, see this Timeline:<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>This information is available for download by clicking the Download button inside the PDF.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;use Add Document button on the back end editor to change&#8221; 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_builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;text pertaining to resources&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_text_color=&#8221;gcid-51d58238-cdd6-4561-b27c-b04102b7f18e&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-primary-color%22:%91%22link_text_color%22,%22link_text_color%22%93,%22gcid-heading-color%22:%91%22header_text_color%22,%22header_4_text_color%22,%22header_3_text_color%22,%22header_2_text_color%22,%22header_5_text_color%22,%22header_6_text_color%22,%22quote_text_color%22,%22header_text_color%22,%22header_4_text_color%22,%22header_3_text_color%22,%22header_2_text_color%22,%22header_5_text_color%22,%22header_6_text_color%22,%22quote_text_color%22%93,%22gcid-secondary-color%22:%91%22quote_border_color%22,%22quote_border_color%22%93,%22gcid-51d58238-cdd6-4561-b27c-b04102b7f18e%22:%91%22text_text_color%22%93}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>For a list of biographies and other reference works on Wodehouse, as well as lists of his vast body of work, visit our Resources page.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=&#8221;@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9saW5rX3VybF9wYWdlIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsicG9zdF9pZCI6IjU3In19@&#8221; 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