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A delightful work, complex and full of revelation throughout. And yet for me, the best part of reading this is the tone that somehow simulates Wodehouses in an academic work. Gary Hall, Editor of
Plum Lines, the quarterly journal of The Wodehouse SocietyThe book is great . . . most excellent. Thomas Langston Reeves Smith, past President, The Wodehouse Society (US)
In 1915, and for the next decade or so, P.G. Wodehouse's fictional world mushroomed within his imagination. His best-known creations, Jeeves and Bertie, arrived in that year, as did Lord Emsworth and many of the Blandings circle; the Oldest Member teed off in 1919; the Drones Club threw open its doors in 1921; a new, thoroughly improved Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge returned to the fold in 1923, and Mr Mulliner sipped his first hot scotch and lemon at the bar parlour of the Angler's Rest in 1926.
Plum would steadily re-visit these characters and locations for another half-century, interspersing his tales with one off novels, stories and further, less voluminous sub series until his death in 1975. These were truly golden years, with Plum at the height of what he called his "mid-season form".
Paul Kent continues his groundbreaking study of Wodehouse's imagination by casting a fresh eye over his created world, whose characters and stories have made our world feel better about itself for well over a century.
About the author
PAUL KENT has trawled just about every word Wodehouse wrote to re-present his unique achievement for a 21st century audience. A longstanding committee member of the P.G. Wodehouse Society (UK), and received unprecedented access to the family archive. Kent began reading Wodehouse at the age of 12, and is now much older than that. He has published works on Montaigne, Voltaire and Shakespeare.
