Yes, it is very Victorian/Edwardian style. And great fun, once you accept that this is one battle not worth fighting. I first read it when I was about thirteen. I finished it in an evening. I've reread it since then and still enjoy it. Despite the classist attitudes of the era there is one attitude that she didn't have. Just take a look at early Agatha Christie and Buchan as such and there's so much casual anti-Semitism; I think in Christie's case it was typical of her class and it wasn't till she met a Nazi that she realised it was wrong. In one scene of Scarlet Pimpernel, Percy disguises himself as the cliched grovelling Jew in order to get rid of Chauvelin, because while he isn't anti-Semitic, he knows Chauvelin will be. For that matter, his cliched dandy act is just that: an act.
I've read a number of Wodehouse books, though not the Psmith ones. You can get some of the early ones free on Gutenberg. There's a delicious Arthurian short story in which the damsel comes to the court of King Arthur pretending to need a knight to help, in order to get a husband. ;-)
Percy disguises himself as the cliched grovelling Jew in order to get rid of Chauvelin, because while he isn't anti-Semitic, he knows Chauvelin will be
I haven't gotten there yet! I am mildly curious about whether it will be interesting, or make me cringe so hard that I pull a muscle, or maybe both! (my bet is on a little bit of both, but we'll see).
I haven't come across much of the casual anti-Semitism in Christie yet, but I've been reading her all out of order; I'm sure it's in there somewhere. I know Dorothy Sayers is pretty bad about it, and as far as I can tell, their Detection Club buddy G. K. Chesterton's anti-Semitism isn't even casual.
The Bertie Wooster books are my favorite (Bertie is the best first-person narrator), but there are a huge number of Wodehouse things I haven't read. Psmith was an early endeavor and not spectacularly successful, but the non-Bertie book I'm reading now (The Adventures of Sally) is pretty good.
There's a delicious Arthurian short story in which the damsel comes to the court of King Arthur pretending to need a knight to help, in order to get a husband. ;-)
Will look up that story. It's in one of the Mike Ashley theme collections, not sure where it was first published. Sorry, I didn't realise you hadn't finished. Forget it - there's plenty more to read before you get there.
I have read a few of Dorothy Sayers' books, but I recall in the first Lord Peter novel that he worked out whodunnit because the villain was an anti-Semite. I can't recall any other references.
I recall in the first Lord Peter novel that he worked out whodunnit because the villain was an anti-Semite. I can't recall any other references.
That's probably correct, but if I open up Whose Body? to check I will end up reading the whole thing and I don't have time for that. It mostly turns up in dialogue between characters and the occasional caricature, iirc.
I've read a number of Wodehouse books, though not the Psmith ones. You can get some of the early ones free on Gutenberg. There's a delicious Arthurian short story in which the damsel comes to the court of King Arthur pretending to need a knight to help, in order to get a husband. ;-)
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I haven't gotten there yet! I am mildly curious about whether it will be interesting, or make me cringe so hard that I pull a muscle, or maybe both! (my bet is on a little bit of both, but we'll see).
I haven't come across much of the casual anti-Semitism in Christie yet, but I've been reading her all out of order; I'm sure it's in there somewhere. I know Dorothy Sayers is pretty bad about it, and as far as I can tell, their Detection Club buddy G. K. Chesterton's anti-Semitism isn't even casual.
The Bertie Wooster books are my favorite (Bertie is the best first-person narrator), but there are a huge number of Wodehouse things I haven't read. Psmith was an early endeavor and not spectacularly successful, but the non-Bertie book I'm reading now (The Adventures of Sally) is pretty good.
There's a delicious Arthurian short story in which the damsel comes to the court of King Arthur pretending to need a knight to help, in order to get a husband. ;-)
Do you know the title of the story?
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Sorry, I didn't realise you hadn't finished. Forget it - there's plenty more to read before you get there.
I have read a few of Dorothy Sayers' books, but I recall in the first Lord Peter novel that he worked out whodunnit because the villain was an anti-Semite. I can't recall any other references.
Reply
That's probably correct, but if I open up Whose Body? to check I will end up reading the whole thing and I don't have time for that. It mostly turns up in dialogue between characters and the occasional caricature, iirc.
Sorry, I didn't realise you hadn't finished
No worries! :D
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