Intro to P.G. Wodehouse

In the great canon, there are many formal comedies, even divine ones, which end with weddings and the establishment or restoration of harmony for their communities. The work of Dante and Shakespeare and Chaucer has its well-earned esteem in our tradition, but what if you're in the mood for something just a bit more... low stakes? What if you need a palate cleanser? A light repast? A little curio that can nevertheless delight you with the skill and beauty of its composition? Enter Pelham Grenville Wodehouse- P.G. to his readers -the Edwardian master of wit and farce, whose short stories and novels about the mundane absurdities of the British aristocracy have entertained people for a century. In this course, you will be introduced to his work through his most famous characters: the well-to-do gadabout Bertram Wooster and his inimitable valet, Jeeves. Together, this pair traverse the schemes and lunacy of a society with too much time and too much money on its hands, doing their best to undo the misadventures of their friends, and making sure that there is never, ever a wedding at the end of the story. This course is intended to be as light and approachable as its subject matter. Across eight weeks, we will read and discuss eight short stories from the first short story collection, Carry On, Jeeves, along with the odd writing assignment for flavor. We will meet once a week for 90 minutes, with one session meeting in the afternoon for grades 9-12, and an evening session for adults as well.

Text

Carry On, Jeeves (book) ISBN-13: 978-0-486-84895-2 ISBN-10: 0-486-84895-7