A man for Gertrude

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A man for Gertrude (Original title: Company for Gertrude ) is a cheerful short story by the British-American writer PG Wodehouse , which first appeared in 1928 in the September issue of British Strand Magazine and the October issue of US Cosmopolitan . She and her protagonist Lord Emsworth are one of the stories from the so-called Blandings Castle saga .

In 1931, Wodehouse continued the action in the short story Dog Biscuits. In 1935 both stories were included in the short story collection Herr auf Schloss Blandings ; In terms of narrative logic, however, this short story is located between the novels A Lord in Need (first published in 1923) and Sommerliches Schlossgewitter (first published in 1929).

action

Lord Emsworth's otherwise peaceful life at Blandings Castle is again overshadowed by worries. His neighbor Sir Gregory persuaded Cyril Wellbeloved, pigkeeper of Lord Emsworth's favorite sow, the Empress of Blandings , to quit the service at Blandings Castle and now to look after the pigs at Matchingham Hall. Further awards in the fattening pig category at the next Shrewsbury agricultural show are seriously jeopardized. At the same time, Lord Emsworth's niece Gertrude is a guest at Blandings Castle. There she is supposed to come to her senses after falling in love with an impoverished curate - as Freddie Threepwood, the youngest son of Lord Emsworth, notes, the family considers Blandings Castle to be a kind of Bastille, a fortress on which the young people of the Sending family is used to when they have fallen in love with the wrong partner. Gertrude is by no means happy at Blandings Castle. With her mournful expression, she not only spoils the otherwise serene and cheerful mood at Lord Emsworth's country estate, but also causes unrest when she tries to make herself “useful” by tidying up Lord Emsworth's study or giving him health advice.

At the same time, Freddie Threepwood, who is not only the youngest son of Lord Emsworth, but also the son-in-law of an American dog biscuit manufacturer, is back in England to market his dog biscuits there. He tried unsuccessfully to convince Lady Georgiana, who is his aunt and mother of Gertrude, of the quality of these dog biscuits. When he leaves their property, he meets his old college friend Rupert Bingham at the door, who confesses to him that he and Gertrude fell in love. As a penniless curate without a pastor's office, however, he knows that Lady Georgiana will not agree to a connection between his daughter and him. He also learns from him that Gertrude has been banished to Blandings Castle to put an end to this relationship.

Freddie advises Bingham against convincing Lady Georgiana of his qualities in another conversation. Instead, he finds a pretext that allows Bingham to be invited to Blandings Castle under the false identity of Mr. Popjoy. There he should take Lord Emsworth for himself, because as Earl of Emsworth it is also his responsibility to decide on the occupation of some pastoral positions in his county. Lord Emsworth is initially relieved that Gertrude's misery has been blown away, and he is charmed by the respect and helpfulness his guest shows towards him. Gradually, however, he began to have doubts: not only is this excessive willingness to help increasingly exhausting - Lord Emsworth also doubts more and more about the mental stability of his guest, after one night he observed him kissing hands in the direction of his window while standing in the park in front of the castle throws. Gradually, Bingham's willingness to help turns out to be dangerous. When Bingham tries to help Lord Emsworth off a ladder, the latter falls to the ground and the liniment Bingham sends him turns out to be a remedy for horses, the effect of which causes Lord Emsworth to suffer considerable pain. Lord Emsworth cannot even swim peacefully in his lake. His devoted singing is misinterpreted by Bingham as calls for help and a useless attempt at rescue is initiated.

Freddie finally confesses to his father that Mr. Popjoy is actually the curate of Bingham who is hoping for one of the parish positions to be given by Emsworths. Lord Emsworth realizes that he has now found a suitable means of taking revenge on Sir Gregory. Bingham receives the parish from Much Matchingham.

expenditure

  • Blandings Castle and Elsewhere (1935)
    • Herr auf Schloss Blandings, Wilhelm Goldmann Verlag, Munich 1976, ISBN 3-442-03418-3 . Translation by Annemarie Arnold-Kubina.

literature

  • Frances Donaldson: PG Wodehouse: A Biography . London 1982, ISBN 0-297-78105-7 .
  • Richard Usborne: Plum Sauce. A PG Wodehouse Companion. Overlook, Woodstock / NY 2003, ISBN 1-58567-441-9 .

Web links

Single receipts

  1. ↑ Herr auf Schloss Blandings , Wilhelm Goldmann Verlag, Munich 1976, ISBN 3-442-03418-3 . P. 58