Wodehouse, P[elham] G[renville]
(1881 --1975) English writer and humorist. Wodehouse's blithe popular
stories and novels about whimsical upper - class characters feature the
Honourable Bertie Wooster; Psmith; Mr. Mulliner; Jeeves, the valet; and
assorted peers, notably the absent - minded Lord Emsworth of Blandings
Castle. Much of Wodehouse's humor derives from the contrast between
the efficient servant Jeeves and the idle, dimwitted, but charming
gentleman Wooster. His books contain fantasy, affectionate satire, and
absurd farce. The style is rich with mock - pomposity, verbal
ingenuity, and unexpected slang. Among his best - loved books are Leave
It to Psmith (1923), Jeeves (1925), The Code of the Woosters (1938),
French Leave (1956), and The Plot That Thickened (1973). Performing
Flea (1953) and Over Seventy (1957) are amusing autobiographical works.
Wodehouse also wrote and collaborated on a number of successful plays
and musical comedies. Sunset at Blandings (1977), his unfinished last
novel, was published posthumously, as were collections of his early
stories, The Uncollected Wodehouse (1976) and The Scoop (1979).
Wodehouse's velr conciliatory broadcasts from his internment in
Nazi Germany aroused sharp criticism during and after World War II,
leading George Orwell to write his essay In Defense of P. G. Wodehouse.
Wodehouse eventually immigrated to the United States, where he became a
U.S. citizen in 1955. He was knighted in 1975, shortly before his
death.
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