SDMB - Straight Dope discussion

Use this thread for discussion of the first third of the book. Spoilers for the first third of the book are likely. Spoilers for the later parts of the book are not to be posted in this thread.

One of my favorite features of Wodehouse's writing has to be the names. Names like Gussie Fink-Nottle are inherently funny. Throw in newts and it's even better.

There are times when it seems Bertie is inconsistent in what he does or doesn't know. He'll quote a passage of poetry and then not be able to think of a word. On the other hand, I'm rather like that myself and I don't think I'm a fictional construct--though I'm sure some literary theory would say I am!

I absolutely hear Fry & Laurie when I'm reading this. I love Bertie's action verbs: "Great-Scott-ing" and "eh-what-ed".

So much for my childhood Sunday school classes: I had to look up the meaning of "our relations have always been on strictly David and Jonathan lines". (They were buddies from the Old Testament books of Samuel.)

I don't picture Stephen Fry QUITE as much as I picture Hugh Laurie as Bertie. That goggle-eyed look he had springs right back into mind.

The whole scene after Bertie knocks over the grandfather clock "for the existence of which he had not budgeted" was hilarious. As is the cheerful way he describes how much Sir Watkyn Basset dislikes him.

I didn't realize that Perry Mason was a literary figure.

Can anyone school me as to the particulars of telephone use back then? I just read Aunt Dahlia getting all bothered when a voice on the line said "three minutes." I've only heard of operators breaking in with time warnings on collect calls; is something similar happening here?

Yes, this. I don't /picture/ Fry so much as I hear his voice when Jeeves speaks. I very much /see/ Hugh, though.

ETA: Bother, I can't seem to make my post spatially reference another post, but this was in reply to Julie's post above.