A Plum Assignment: Discourses on P. G. Wodehouse and His World

by Curtis Armstrong, Elliott Milstein, Ashley D. Polasek (Editor)

In Mulliner Nights , P. G. Wodehouse tells us that "there is no surer foundation for a beautiful friendship than a mutual taste in literature." Curtis Armstrong and Elliott Milstein might add that no mutual taste in literature is a surer foundation for friendship than a mutual love of the works of P. G. Wodehouse, and their four decades of friendship, sparked by The Master when they were barely out of short pants and spots, proves it. Across those decades, the authors expressed their love of Wodehouse through deep dives into his oeuvre in papers, presentations, and toasts delivered at Wodehouse conventions and published in Wodehouse journals. A Plum Assignment collects these pieces together for the first time, exploring everything from the heights of Bertie Wooster's consanguinity to the depths of S. F. Ukridge's penny-ante stratagems, from the satiric depredations of Mulliner's Hollywood to precisely how Plum penned the sunshine into Blandings. Pour yourself a cheerful whisky and s. and join two great pals for a journey through the world of P. G. Wodehouse!

196 pages, Paperback

Published April 18, 2018

About the author

Curtis Armstrong was born in Michigan in 1953. He divided his early years between Detroit—a town apparently so nerdy that the word “nerd” was coined there in 1949--and Geneva, Switzerland, which by comparison, wasn’t nerdy at all. Following a childhood spent mainly between the covers of books, Armstrong discovered the theatre.

He studied at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Rochester, Michigan, which led to a forty-plus year acting career that shows no signs of slowing. After eight years of stage work in New York and around the country, Armstrong was cast in his first film, Risky Business, starring Tom Cruise. It was the beginning of a string of classic comedy films and television shows, including Better Off Dead, One Crazy Summer, TV’s Moonlighting and, most significantly, Revenge of the Nerds, in which he played the iconic role of Booger.

Since then Armstrong, a nerd icon himself has appeared in dozens of films and TV shows including, recently, Supernatural and The New Girl. He co-created and co-hosted the hit comedy-reality show King of the Nerds, which brought his nerd narrative full circle. He is married to writer Elaine Aronson, and has one daughter, Lily.

Reviews

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kudos to Armstrong and Milstein on this fun yet scholarly compilation of their talks at various Wodehouse society conventions and in Plum Lines, the newsletter of The Wodehouse Society. They added introductions -- one for the book and one for each discourse -- and also an ending, and these are quite entertaining. I began reading this the day the mailperson delivered it. I also enjoyed the foreword by Elin Woodger Murphy. Amongst the various selections include a study of opening lines of the novels of P.G. Wodehouse, a discussion of nodders and Hollywood, and an abridged version of Milstein's undergraduate thesis on Wodehouse's novels, dividing them into periods (early, middle, and late). I am not writing this well, but I could not contain my joy and wanted to put something out there about this book right away. Thank you, Curtis and Elliott, for continuing the spread of sweetness and light!

[Tiana Hadnt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that every Wodehouse fan should read. This is also a pair of friends that every Wodehouse fan wishes they could have. Excellently written, and not at all boring, this collection of essays talks about Wodehouse as he should be talked about. With love, with humor, with a flair, if flair is the word I want. This book could have been another hundred pages long and I think I’d have loved it just as much, if not more. It’s accessible, and whether you’re a Wodehouse aficionado or one who’s just starting to dip the old toes in, you’ll have loads to enjoy here.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just Plum good,