Lord Ickenham
Lord Ickenham , actually Frederick Altamont Cornwallis Twistleton, 5th Earl of Ickenham or simply Uncle Fred is a recurring fictional character of the British-American writer PG Wodehouse , who plays an essential role in four novels and one short story.
characterization
Wodehouse describes Lord Ickenham as a tall man around 65 years of age, who stands out for his slim, almost youthful figure, his mustache and his alert eyes. Because of his extensive relationship to the original holder of the title of Earl of Ickenham, his chances of ever becoming a holder of this title were slim. He spent twenty years of his life in the United States, where he worked as a cowboy, newspaper reporter and prospector, until a series of deaths in his family made him heir to the title. During this time he also met James Schoonmaker, the future husband of Lord Emsworth's sister Lady Constance and his daughter Myra.
On his return to Great Britain he becomes a member of the Pelican Club and a good friend of Galahad Threepwood . Lord Emsworth relies on his help when it is indispensable and the entanglements at Blandings Castle get too complicated. For example, in Uncle's Awakening , he jumps aside Lord Emsworth when the Duke of Dunstable wants to put the Empress of Blandings , Lord Emsworth's favorite pig, on a fitness regimen.
Lord Emsworth Manor is in Hampshire , where he lives with his American wife Jane. Jane, who does not appear personally in any of the stories, initially allows him a day or two of wild life in the city. Later, however, she takes over the family finances with a firm hand and only gives him enough pocket money for "golf balls, a little self-respect and tobacco". She also insists that he continue his quiet country life. However, he uses her trips to the south of France or to her mother in the Caribbean to build on his wild past and regularly brings his nephew Pongo Twistleton into trouble.
Tales with Lord Ickenham as protagonist
Lord Ickenham appears in four novels and one short story:
- Uncle Fred Flits By (1935) - Short story in the Young Men in Spats Collection , (1936)
- Uncle Fred in the Springtime (1939), German title Onkels Erwachen . The novel is part of the Blandings Castle saga
- Uncle Dynamite (1948), German title Onkel Dynamit .
- Cocktail Time (1958)
- Service with a Smile (1961), German title Stets zu Diensten , also a novel from the Blandings Castle saga
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
- 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, Frankfurter Allgemeine, September 17, 2002
- Stephen Fry: What ho, My hero PG Wodehouse , The Independent, January 18, 2000
- Sacha Verna: Strange complications . Deutschlandfunk review on Uncle's Awakening .