Extricating Young Gussie
Extricating Young Gussie is a cheerful short story from the early work of the British-American writer PG Wodehouse , which appeared in the US Saturday Evening Post on September 18, 1915 and in the January 1916 issue of British Strand Magazine . The short story was included in the short story collection The Man with Two Left Feet in 1917 and published in book form.
Extricating Young Gussie is the short story that introduces valet Jeeves and Bertram Wooster, two of the most popular characters in the work of PG Wodehouse. The story of their first meeting, however, did not lead Wodehouse until a year later, when Jeeves takes the helm .
action
Aunt Agatha throws Bertie out of bed at half past ten in the morning - from Bertie's point of view, an end to sleep early in the morning. Aunt Agatha is completely shocked that one of her nephews and Bertie's cousin "Gussie" Mannering-Phipps has fallen in love with a show girl in New York, whom he may also marry. She demands that Bertie leave for New York immediately and stop Gussie from making this mistake.
In New York, Bertie, accompanied by Jeeves, initially finds no signs of his cousin in the hotel where Gussie is supposed to live. A little later, however, he meets him on the street and learns from him that Gussie is now trading under the name George Wilson and is about to make his stage debut. To win his girlfriend's father for himself, he will soon appear in a revue show. Since Bertie doesn't manage to stop Gussie, Aunt Julia, Gussie's mother, travels to New York.
After a few rehearsals, Gussie's first stage appearance is due and Bertie, who is attending the stage debut, has a strikingly pretty girl in the theater next to her. Gussie suffers from severe stage fright , but in the middle of his second song the girl begins to sing along with Bertie, fueling Gussie to a better performance. The song receives a lot of applause and the young woman turns out to be Gussie's great love.
Aunt Julia arrives in New York and Bertie takes her out so that she can see Gussie first and then his girlfriend in their respective revues. Aunt Julia, however, also has a stage past - when they visit the young woman's father together with Bertie Joe Danby, it turns out that he not only knew Julia at that time, but also deeply adored her. Julia again proudly tells him that her son inherited her talent, which in turn moves Danby to demand that she not only let Gussie continue his stage career, but even stay with him in New York. When Bertie meets Gussie again a little later, he learns that his aunt Julia and Danby are about to get married and that Gussie and Danby's daughter will also be married soon. When Bertie receives a telegram from Aunt Agatha, who asks if she should also travel to New York for support, Bertie stops her. But since he has to fear the anger of his energetic aunt, he comes to the conclusion that he will probably not be seen in England for the next ten years.
Trivia
- In addition to Bertie Wooster and Jeeves, Wodehouse also introduces Aunt Agatha with this short story , whom he later falls back on in a number of stories: As a terrifying and strong-willed lady, she is the nemesis of her nephew Bertie, whose wishes and intentions often reflect the plot of the novel or story drive forward. Often, she doesn't even have to appear in person: the thought of Aunt Agatha's reactions is enough to force Bertie Wooster to act. Wodehouse also uses her as a type in other stories and short stories: Aunt Dahlia is Bertie's declared favorite aunt , but she is also a blackmailer who does not shy away from anything and is completely unimpressed by the inconveniences and humiliations that she inflicts on those around her. The character world of the Blandings Castle saga also shows a comparable personality: Lady Constance Keeble not only keeps her brothers Lord Emsworth and Galahad Threepwood as well as the service staff under the direction of Butler Beach on their toes. Her numerous nephews and nieces also often draw her anger in their love affairs.
- In his novels, Wodehouse makes use of female characters who work in show business. In Summer Castle Storm Ronnie Fish, nephew of Lord Emsworth, falls in love with a revue dancer.
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
- Literature by and about PG Wodehouse in the catalog of the German National Library
- Works by and about PG Wodehouse in the German Digital Library
- Felicitas von Lovenberg: “Jeeves had a wooden expression on his face.” Review of Woodhouse's work on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his first novel. From: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , September 17, 2002; at bücher.de
- Stephen Fry: What ho, My hero PG Wodehouse. From The Independent, January 18, 2000.