There is a long tradition among the superhero community of having a butler to take care of those day-to-day annoyances that superheroes don't have time for like cooking, vacuuming, and performing emergency surgery. Butlers like Alfred and Jarvis are justifiably famous, but no butler is greater than Jeeves. Jeeves (actually a valet and not a butler at all, though the difference is not noticeable to Americans) is practically a superhero in his own right, with a superior brain (because of all the fish he eats) able to solve any problem, right any wrong, and prepare the ultimate hangover cure. Captain ILL feels that P.G. Wodehouse is God's gift to literature, but the Jeeves and Wooster stories stand out. They've got everything that a comic book has, save the pictures. Dashing, but moronic, heroes, nefarious aunts, blighted old blisters with too much money, and even a sidekick with the unlikely name of Cyril "Barmy" Fotheringay-Phipps. To give you an idea of the priceless gems of phraseology contained in these books, here's a short exchange between Jeeves and his master:"Jeeves, I'm engaged."
"I hope you will be very happy, sir."
"Don't be an ass. I'm engaged to Miss Bassett."
If you can resist reading these books after that, then you are "a brainless poop who ought to be given a scholarship at some lunatic asylum".
5 comments:
At last...Wodehouse glorious Wodehouse! I sense something akin to hero-worship in this post and I couldn't agree more. Jeeves is awesome. AND a mention of Madeline Bassett; who, by the way, believes that 'the stars are God's daisy chain'. Sigh.
In my early twenties I carried a list of longed-for titles everywhere I went. (This was all before the days of the Internets). ANYWAY, how stupid was I to let the entire collection slip away to my ex-husband when we got divorced? (I got the Agatha Christie collection and all the Cat Stevens LPs).
If the Captain had a valet on the order of Jeeves, he wouldn't be mending his own union suit...but would probably have to do battle over his choice of headgear. Jeeves is pretty particular about hats.
I shudder to think what Jeeves would say about a cooking pot worn on the head, even if it does confer secret super powers. Even so, it would probably be worth giving up to gain the services of a valet of Jeeves' caliber.
I posted to another blog recently my experience with Jeeves, and I was not impressed. I Asked Jeeves what wine goes with curry (who better to know, I thought) but all of his answers were useless,
David, that Jeeves is an impostor! The real Jeeves knows all (due to his aforementioned diet of fish) and holds the solution to all problems. Unfortunately, I do not know how he can be contacted.
David, you might try Preston Cellars Gamay Noir or Hyatt Vineyards Black Muscat. Trader Joe's has a nice viognier under the Honey Moon label or you could try Smoking Loon Viognier...I have enjoyed all of the above with spicy dishes...not all at the same time, of course.
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