Watkyn Bassett
Sir Watkyn Bassett is a recurring fictional character in the comic novels of the British-American PG Wodehouse. He plays a role in five novels published by PG Wodehouse between 1933 and 1971, alongside the protagonist Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves .
characterization
Sir Watkyn's residence is Totleigh Towers, a manor a short drive from Brinkley Court, the manor house of Bertie Wooster's aunt Dahlia and her husband Tom Travers. His daughter Madeline and his spirited ward Stephanie "Stiffy" Byng, who is the proud owner of the extremely vicious black Scotch Terrier Bartholomews, live with him. A frequent houseguest at Totleighs Tower is Roderick Spode, a friend of Sir Watkyn, whom Wodehous in 1938 published Old Adel Not Rust is closely based on Oswald Mosley , who became known as the founder of the fascist party British Union of Fascists (BUF) . In the months written after the Second World War, Wodehouse renounced this political assignment.
Watkyn Bassett served as a police magistrate in London for most of his life and inherited noble titles and wealth late in his life. Bertie's relationship with Sir Watkyn is not the best: Sir Watkyn had once fined Bertie £ 5 for stealing a police helmet. Bertie has since had his own theory about the origins of Sir Watkyn's wealth:
“In the autumn of his life he was swimming in money, yes, without exaggeration, one can call him filthy rich. For most of his working years he had worked as a police judge in London, where by virtue of his office he once fined me five pounds, and this for a ridiculous minor offense that I committed on the evening of the great rowing regatta, and for which a mild reprimand far more appropriate would have been. Shortly afterwards, one of his relatives died, leaving him with a huge fortune. At least that was the official version. In truth, however, in the course of his years as a judge he had pocketed all the fines himself and made sacks of coal in this way. Five pounds here, five pounds there, that'll soon add up. "
Sir Watkyn has since believed that Bertie Wooster is a notorious thief. At the first re-encounter with Bertie in Alter Adelet nicht rostet , Sir Watkyn comes to the conviction that Bertie wants to steal his umbrella and then a silver creamer from an antique shop. Despite this character assessment, Bertie is a guest on Totleigh's Tower several times. He owes the invitation in each case to Madeline, who has had a not always trouble-free relationship with Bertie's friend Gussie Fink-Nottle for four novels . As a gentleman, Sir Watkyn is unable to kick out a guest who has appeared at the invitation of his daughter. At least Bertie is under increased security, is the fundamental suspect when an object disappears on Totleigh Towers, is locked in his room and is guarded by the police in front of his window. In one case Jeeves even has to sacrifice himself and become a butler for Sir Watkyn so that Bertie Wooster is not convicted of theft. At the same time, Sir Watkyn is always at risk of ending up with Bertie Wooster as a son-in-law. In Then No, Jeeves , Gussie turns out to be too shy to confess his love to Madeline directly. Bertie steps in and carefully tries to prepare Madeline for his advertisement. Madeline, however, misunderstands him and if she rejects Bertie because of her affection for Gussie, she is from then on convinced that Bertie loves her dearly. She therefore assures him that she will make him happy should their relationship with Gussie fail. As a gentleman, Bertie is unable to explain the misunderstanding to her.
Both Tom Travers and Watkyn Bassett are collectors of old silver and other Objets d'Art and are in competition with them. In order to get a coveted silver creamer, the former police judge Sir Watkyn does not shy away from unfair means. The stomach-sensitive Tom Travers is put out of action with lobster and cucumber salad so that he misses the deadline by which the antique dealer keeps the silver jug for him. No less in demand is a fancy black amber figure, which Sir Watkyn claims he bought for only five pounds in order to arouse the collector's oath Tom Travers.
Novels in which Watkyn Bassett is one of the protagonists
- Right Ho, Jeeves (1934); German title: Well then, Jeeves . The novel appeared between December 23, 1933 and January 27, 1934, initially as a sequel in the US Saturday Evening Post .
- The Code of the Woosters (1938); German title: Old nobility does not rust
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The Mating Season (1949); German title of the first translation The highest of feelings ;
- reissued: Jeeves works wonders , newly translated by Thomas Schlachter, Edition Epoca, Zurich
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Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves (1963); German title of the first translation: What to do, Jeeves? ;
- reissued: SOS, Jeeves! , newly translated by Thomas Schlachter, Edition Epoca, Zurich
- Much Obliged, Jeeves (1971); United States title: Jeeves and the Tie That Binds ; German title: It doesn't work without a butler
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
- Thomas Herrmann: Virtuoso transmissions of English language jokes: A workshop talk with Thomas Schlachter NZZ, October 14, 2008
- Stephen Fry: What ho, My hero PG Wodehouse , The Independent, January 18, 2000