Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

This month our genre read is Comedy that consists of works that are humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, snickers and smiles!

Suggested reads are:
Very Good, Jeeves! by P.G. Wodehouse
a collection of eleven short stories all featuring Jeeves and Bertie Wooster.

Scoop by Evelyn Waugh
a satire of sensationalist journalism and foreign correspondents. Partly based on Waugh's experience of working for the Daily Mail,

Whick one of these might tickle your fancy for this month?

I started the Jeeves book yesterday and have read three stories already. They're a lot of fun!

I'm doing Scoop. Planning to start once I finish my Collins.

I have both from my library so will with any luck get to both. Trying to finish those books unfinished before the end of the month.

Rosemarie what kind of quirky things have happened so far?

Jeeves has saved Bertie from the plans of his Aunt Agatha, the plans including matrimony or a steady job.
Jeeves always manages to convince Bertie that he(Jeeves) has better ideas and better taste, which he does.
If you haven't seen the PBS series from years ago, I highly recommend them. They're a treat.

So far I've read:
1. Jeeves and the Impending Doom
2. The Inferiority Complex of Old Sippy
3. Jeeves and the Yule-Tide Spirit

I'm about half-way through Very Good, Jeeves, and hope to read Scoop next.

Like Penelope, I got them both from the library....and I also still have unfinished books from November!

I'll be starting the audio of Very Good, Jeeves! in a few days. I also hope to get to Scoop. I already have the book from the library.

John wrote: "I'm about half-way through Very Good, Jeeves..."

What are your thoughts John on this one? I remember at some point we had discussed this being a good one to read.

I read both books several years ago. Very Good, Jeeves was my first book in that series and I enjoyed it. I found the dialogue/ expressions to be amusing. I hope you all enjoy both books!

Lesle wrote: "John wrote: "I'm about half-way through Very Good, Jeeves..."

What are your thoughts John on this one? I remember at some point we had discussed this being a good one to read."

Lesle, I greatly enjoyed Very Good, Jeeves, which I've just finished. Wodehouse is on top form, obviously enjoying himself with some of his favourite characters. It's very funny - an ideal Christmas read.

I've just finished Very Good, Jeeves! and loved it. It was such a fun read.

I am glad both you and John enjoyed this fun read. Fun is good for this time of year!

It was an inspired choice to put these two books together, Lesle as the comparisons between them were interesting.
Both were comedies written by English men from privileged backgrounds, both authors of similar eras, and both books written in the 1930s.

Waugh's book was amusing in bits, and he is undoubtedly a fine writer, but I always feel there is an undercurrent of nastiness to Waugh, and the sort of superior condescension and casual racism that was (and still is!) fairly common to "his" England.

Wodehouse's humour is warm, and generous and I always love his characters.

I laughed out loud in a number of places in Very Good, Jeeves! (its why I never read a Wodehouse book in public!), but I only smiled/grimaced wryly at a few bits in Scoop

But I'm maybe letting my biases get in the way - has anybody else read them both yet, and what were your feelings?

Lesle's choice of comedy as the genre for December has also made me think hard about who are the Wodehouse or Waugh of our time?

I'm struggling to come up with names.....

I agree with your assessment of both books, John. Wodehouse also made me laugh out loud.
Waugh hasn't done that, but he has irritated me at times.
I liked Brideshead Revisited and really dislike A Handful of Dust.

John
Funny I had read and enjoyed this article earlier in the month about Wodehouse.
The Man who Wrote the Most Perfect Sentences

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/2...

Thanks for that link, Lesle, to a lovely article; a tribute as warm-hearted as Wodehouse himself.

Reading his books, the prose feels so effortless and natural - but he pointed out that this was because he would "write every sentence 10 times."

I agree with the writer about the TV series, since it was first shown I can never read a Jeeves book without picturing Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry.

Thanks Lesle, that was nice to read. I too am coloured by the TV series and would "hear" Laurie & Fry as I read the dialogue. I use Wodehouse as an antidepressant too. I'll pick one up when I'm low but I'll also read them after reading "difficult" books such as A Clockwork Orange or Requiem for a Dream.

I finished reading the last Jeeves novel last month and will start the Blandings books next.

I especially enjoyed the last story, "The Ordeal of Young Tuppy," in Very Good, Jeeves!. The descriptions of Tuppy playing rugby are hilarious.

I agree-and it wasn't the gentleman's version of rugby.

I am happy to share the article with all of you.
Very Good Jeeves is just... so much fun!

Mike it is sometimes, after reading a difficult book that reading an uplifting book helps with the other. Takes the edge off of it.

John, I absolutely agree with your description of both books/author’s styles and the choice to read them together was inspired. Nastiness is a good word to use for Scoop-definitely more cynical. Jeeves is light hearted; Wodeshouse makes fun of the aristocracy, but it doesn’t read as mean spirited.

However, I’ve read a handful of the Jeeves books now and they have gotten repetitive to the point that I likely won’t read (many) more. But I might watch one of those tv productions for the fun of it.

Liane, I have started reading Wodehouse's Blandings Novels and loving them. There's a wider cast of characters and lots of fun, many times including mistaken identities.
I agree that the Jeeves stories can get repetitive. Very Good, Jeeves is one of the best in the series.

I started reading Scoop. What a book! I'm sure to have a fun time reading it.

That is great Piyangie!

Piyangie wrote: "I started reading Scoop. What a book! I'm sure to have a fun time reading it."

I like it too, Piyangie. I’ll probably finish it tonight and then I have Very Good, Jeeves! on deck.

Very Good, Jeeves! is hilarious. The comedy reminds me of W. C. Fields.

Oh! I did not think of that but you are right Chad!

I am trying to finish several series that I have started the past couple years but when I saw Very Good, Jeeves on the list for this month, I had to read it.
I've readThe Code of the Woosters a few years ago so I knew this one would be funny. What a hilarious bunch of stories!

Natalie happy to see you can fit this fun read in!

Does anyone know if there was ever a TV series based on the Jeeves characters? This group of stories in Very Good, Jeeves! seems ready made for a hilarious British comedy TV series.

PBS showed the Jeeves and Wooster series back in the 80s. Hugh Laurie was a perfect Bertie and Steven Fry was perfectly cast as Jeeves. They're great fun to watch.

Rosemarie wrote: "PBS showed the Jeeves and Wooster series back in the 80s. Hugh Laurie was a perfect Bertie and Steven Fry was perfectly cast as Jeeves. They're great fun to watch."

Thanks, Rosemarie. I’m definitely going to check that out! It’s not often that I LOL while reading. The dialogue is priceless.

I finished Scoop a few days back. Some parts were extremely funny. I know it was a different time, but the racial slurs caused me to rate this 3 stars instead of 4.

I also finished Jeeves just last night. I feel like it is a book that should be savored slowly as it is a bit too formulaic to read straight through. Problem stated, Jeeves brought in, Bertram doubts Jeeves, Jeeves succeeds. Over and over again. But that said, my first encounter with Wodehouse was a smashing LOL success. Loved the language and the dry humor. I'm not sure how the series didn't end with Jeeves in jail for the murder of Bertram!

Happy New Year everyone!

Chad wrote: "Does anyone know if there was ever a TV series based on the Jeeves characters? This group of stories in Very Good, Jeeves! seems ready made for a hilarious British comedy TV series."

Here is a free link to watch. There are 23 episodes over 4 seasons.
https://reelgood.com/show/jeeves-and-...

Thanks, Lesle!

Your more than welcome Chad! Hope you enjoy them as much as the book!!