Right Ho, Jeeves
Encyclopedia
Right Ho, Jeeves is a novel
by P. G. Wodehouse
, the second full-length novel featuring the popular characters Jeeves
and Bertie Wooster
, after Thank You, Jeeves
. It also features a host of other recurring Wodehouse characters, and is mostly set at Brinkley Court
, the home of Bertie's Aunt Dahlia
. It was first published in the United Kingdom
on October 5, 1934 by Herbert Jenkins
, London
, and in the United States
on October 15, 1934 by Little, Brown and Company
, Boston
, under the title Brinkley Manor. Before being published as a book, it had been sold to the Saturday Evening Post, in which it appeared in serial form from December 23, 1933 to January 27, 1934, and in England in the Grand Magazine from April to September 1934. Wodehouse had already started planning this sequel while working on Thank You, Jeeves.
spent in the company of his Aunt Dahlia Travers
and her daughter Angela. In Bertie's absence, Jeeves has been advising Bertie's old school friend, Gussie Fink-Nottle
, who is in love with Madeline Bassett
. Gussie is too timid to speak to her.
Madeline, a friend of Bertie's cousin Angela, is staying at Brinkley Court
(country seat of Aunt Dahlia and Uncle Tom). Bertie himself is expected at Brinkley Court to deliver the school prizes at the local grammar school, which he considers a fearful task. Bertie sends Gussie to Brinkley Court so that he will have the chance to woo Madeline, but also so that Gussie will be forced to take on the job of distributing the prizes.
When Angela breaks her engagement to Tuppy Glossop
, Bertie feels obliged to go down to Brinkley Court to comfort Aunt Dahlia. In addition to her worry about Angela's broken engagement, Aunt Dahlia needs 500 pounds from her husband Tom. Bertie advises Aunt Dahlia to pretend to have lost her appetite through worry, advice he also offers to Tuppy to win back Angela and—largely redundantly—to Gussie, to win Madeline. All take his advice. The resulting plates of untasted food upset Aunt Dahlia's prized chef Anatole, who gives notice
.
Bertie's attempt to plead Gussie's case is misinterpreted by Madeline as a marriage proposal, but she tells Bertie she cannot marry him, as she has fallen in love with someone else, and her description of the man makes Bertie realize that she is talking about Gussie. When Gussie is too timid to speak to Madeline even with this substantial encouragement, Bertie decides to embolden Gussie by making the teetotal
Gussie drink alcohol without his knowledge.
Gussie ends up imbibing more gin than Bertie had intended. Gussie successfully proposes to Madeline, then—in a scene that is the highlight of the novel—delivers an inebriated speech to the grammar school, to the delight of a few but to the horror of many. Madeline breaks the engagement. Gussie, still drunk, proposes to Angela, who accepts him solely to anger Tuppy.
In the face of this chaos, Bertie admits his inability to act as a counselor, and removes a restriction he had placed on Jeeves to offer advice. Jeeves ensures Bertie's absence for a few hours, and during that time swiftly ensures that Angela and Tuppy are reconciled, that Gussie and Madeline are engaged, that Anatole withdraws his resignation, and that Uncle Tom writes Aunt Dahlia a check for 500 pounds.
Sections of the story were adapted into episodes of the ITV
series Jeeves and Wooster
.
, in article titled "What ho! My hero, PG Wodehouse", remarks on the popularity of the work, especially the prize-giving episode:
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE was an English humorist, whose body of work includes novels, short stories, plays, poems, song lyrics, and numerous pieces of journalism. He enjoyed enormous popular success during a career that lasted more than seventy years and his many writings continue to be...
, the second full-length novel featuring the popular characters Jeeves
Jeeves
Reginald Jeeves is a fictional character in the short stories and novels of P. G. Wodehouse, being the valet of Bertie Wooster . Created in 1915, Jeeves would continue to appear in Wodehouse's works until his final, completed, novel Aunts Aren't Gentlemen in 1974, making him Wodehouse's most famous...
and Bertie Wooster
Bertie Wooster
Bertram Wilberforce "Bertie" Wooster is a recurring fictional character in the Jeeves novels of British author P. G. Wodehouse. An English gentleman, one of the "idle rich" and a member of the Drones Club, he appears alongside his valet, Jeeves, whose genius manages to extricate Bertie or one of...
, after Thank You, Jeeves
Thank You, Jeeves
Thank You, Jeeves is a Jeeves novel by P.G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on March 16, 1934 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on April 23, 1934 by Little, Brown and Company, New York....
. It also features a host of other recurring Wodehouse characters, and is mostly set at Brinkley Court
Brinkley Court
Brinkley Court is a recurring fictional location, a country house in the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being the seat of Tom and Dahlia Travers...
, the home of Bertie's Aunt Dahlia
Aunt Dahlia
Dahlia Travers is a recurring fictional character in the Jeeves novels of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being best known as Bertie Wooster's bonhomous, red-faced Aunt Dahlia. She is much beloved by her nephew, in contrast with her sister, Bertie's Aunt Agatha...
. It was first published in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on October 5, 1934 by Herbert Jenkins
Barrie & Jenkins
Barrie & Jenkins was a small British publishing house that was formed in 1964 from the merger of "Herbert Jenkins" and "Barrie & Rockcliffe". One of their most notable authors was P. G...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on October 15, 1934 by Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, under the title Brinkley Manor. Before being published as a book, it had been sold to the Saturday Evening Post, in which it appeared in serial form from December 23, 1933 to January 27, 1934, and in England in the Grand Magazine from April to September 1934. Wodehouse had already started planning this sequel while working on Thank You, Jeeves.
Plot summary
Bertie returns to London from several weeks in CannesCannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
spent in the company of his Aunt Dahlia Travers
Aunt Dahlia
Dahlia Travers is a recurring fictional character in the Jeeves novels of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being best known as Bertie Wooster's bonhomous, red-faced Aunt Dahlia. She is much beloved by her nephew, in contrast with her sister, Bertie's Aunt Agatha...
and her daughter Angela. In Bertie's absence, Jeeves has been advising Bertie's old school friend, Gussie Fink-Nottle
Gussie Fink-Nottle
Augustus "Gussie" Fink-Nottle is a fictional character in the Jeeves novels of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being a lifelong friend of Jeeves's master Bertie Wooster and a possible member of the Drones Club...
, who is in love with Madeline Bassett
Madeline Bassett
Madeline Bassett is a recurring character in the Jeeves stories by English comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being one of the young women to whom Bertie Wooster periodically finds himself threateningly engaged.-Overview:...
. Gussie is too timid to speak to her.
Madeline, a friend of Bertie's cousin Angela, is staying at Brinkley Court
Brinkley Court
Brinkley Court is a recurring fictional location, a country house in the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being the seat of Tom and Dahlia Travers...
(country seat of Aunt Dahlia and Uncle Tom). Bertie himself is expected at Brinkley Court to deliver the school prizes at the local grammar school, which he considers a fearful task. Bertie sends Gussie to Brinkley Court so that he will have the chance to woo Madeline, but also so that Gussie will be forced to take on the job of distributing the prizes.
When Angela breaks her engagement to Tuppy Glossop
Tuppy Glossop
Hildebrand "Tuppy" Glossop is a fictional character appearing in some of P. G. Wodehouse Jeeves books. He is a member of the Drones Club and a good friend of Bertie Wooster. In Right Ho, Jeeves, we learn that Tuppy is of Scottish origin.-Relationships:...
, Bertie feels obliged to go down to Brinkley Court to comfort Aunt Dahlia. In addition to her worry about Angela's broken engagement, Aunt Dahlia needs 500 pounds from her husband Tom. Bertie advises Aunt Dahlia to pretend to have lost her appetite through worry, advice he also offers to Tuppy to win back Angela and—largely redundantly—to Gussie, to win Madeline. All take his advice. The resulting plates of untasted food upset Aunt Dahlia's prized chef Anatole, who gives notice
Resignation
A resignation is the formal act of giving up or quitting one's office or position. It can also refer to the act of admitting defeat in a game like chess, indicated by the resigning player declaring "I resign", turning his king on its side, extending his hand, or stopping the chess clock...
.
Bertie's attempt to plead Gussie's case is misinterpreted by Madeline as a marriage proposal, but she tells Bertie she cannot marry him, as she has fallen in love with someone else, and her description of the man makes Bertie realize that she is talking about Gussie. When Gussie is too timid to speak to Madeline even with this substantial encouragement, Bertie decides to embolden Gussie by making the teetotal
Teetotalism
Teetotalism refers to either the practice of or the promotion of complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages. A person who practices teetotalism is called a teetotaler or is simply said to be teetotal...
Gussie drink alcohol without his knowledge.
Gussie ends up imbibing more gin than Bertie had intended. Gussie successfully proposes to Madeline, then—in a scene that is the highlight of the novel—delivers an inebriated speech to the grammar school, to the delight of a few but to the horror of many. Madeline breaks the engagement. Gussie, still drunk, proposes to Angela, who accepts him solely to anger Tuppy.
In the face of this chaos, Bertie admits his inability to act as a counselor, and removes a restriction he had placed on Jeeves to offer advice. Jeeves ensures Bertie's absence for a few hours, and during that time swiftly ensures that Angela and Tuppy are reconciled, that Gussie and Madeline are engaged, that Anatole withdraws his resignation, and that Uncle Tom writes Aunt Dahlia a check for 500 pounds.
Sections of the story were adapted into episodes of the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
series Jeeves and Wooster
Jeeves and Wooster
-External links:*—An episode guide to the series, including information about which episodes were adapted from which Wodehouse stories.*—Episode guides, screenshots and quotes from the four series....
.
Reception
Stephen FryStephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
, in article titled "What ho! My hero, PG Wodehouse", remarks on the popularity of the work, especially the prize-giving episode:
External links
- The Russian Wodehouse Society's page, with a list of characters
- Free eBook of Right Ho, Jeeves at Project GutenbergProject GutenbergProject Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
- Summaries of most of P.G. Wodehouse's books, information on characters