Thank You, Jeeves
Encyclopedia
Thank You, Jeeves is a Jeeves
novel
by P.G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom
on March 16, 1934 by Herbert Jenkins
, London
, and in the United States
on April 23, 1934 by Little, Brown and Company
, New York
.
The story had previously been serialised, in the Strand Magazine
in the UK from August 1933 to February 1934, and in the U.S. in Cosmopolitan from January to June 1934; it would later appear in the American Family Herald & Evening Star, between March 24 and August 11, 1937.
relentless playing of the banjolele
, Jeeves
leaves his master’s service and finds work with Bertie’s old friend, Lord “Chuffy” Chuffnell. Bertie travels to one of Chuffy’s cottages in Dorset
in order to continue practising his banjolele-playing without complaints from his neighbours.
Chuffy, whose high rank is matched only by his low financial status, is hoping to sell his dilapidated family manor to the American millionaire J. Washburn Stoker, who in turn plans to rent out the property to the famous “nerve specialist” Sir Roderick Glossop, who intends to marry Chuffy’s Aunt Myrtle. Chuffy has also fallen in love with Mr. Stoker’s daughter, Pauline, a former fiancée of Bertie, but feels unable to propose to her until his finances have improved enough to be able to keep her in the style to which she’s accustomed.
Upon being informed of the situation, Bertie hatches a plan to make Chuffy propose: he is going to kiss Pauline in the presence of his old friend, in the hope that Chuffy will be spurred on to propose himself. When he puts his plan into action, however, he is seen, not by Chuffy, but by J. Washburn Stoker, who is convinced that Pauline and Bertie are still in love, and that he must exercise ceaseless vigilance in order to prevent them from getting engaged again. Even worse, from Bertie’s perspective, all hopes of marriage between Chuffy and Pauline seem dashed after a fight between Mr. Stoker’s young son Dwight and Chuffy’s cousin Seabury leads to a more general row between the Chuffnells and the Stokers. Mr. Stoker returns to the yacht
in which he and his family are staying, keeping Pauline a virtual prisoner onboard in order to stop her eloping with Bertie.
Chuffy writes a love letter to Pauline which Jeeves is able to smuggle aboard the yacht by pretending to enter Mr. Stoker’s employ; Pauline is so moved that she swims ashore, where she goes to stay in Bertie’s house until she can visit Chuffnell Hall in the morning. Bertie chivalrously lets her sleep in his bed whilst he tries to sleep in the garage. Unfortunately, he is seen by Police Sergeant Voules, who informs Lord Chuffnell of Bertie’s strange behaviour. Chuffy, thinking that Bertie is intoxicated, takes him back up to his bedroom. Upon discovering Pauline there, he leaps to the conclusion that she and Bertie have resumed their romantic relationship. A heated row breaks out, which ends with Pauline declaring that she never wants to see Chuffy again. The two lovers return to their respective homes. Bertie is then disturbed by Mr. Stoker, who has found Pauline missing, and jumped to the conclusion that she has run off with Bertie. Upon searching Bertie’s cottage and not finding her, however, he apologises and leaves.
The next day, Bertie gets a message from Mr. Stoker, requesting his presence onboard the yacht for his son’s birthday party. Despite his misgivings, Bertie goes, only to be locked in one of the staterooms by Mr. Stoker, who informs Bertie that he has found out about Pauline’s visit to him the previous night. He plans to force Bertie and Pauline to marry. Jeeves, however, is able to help Bertie escape: Mr. Stoker has hired some blackface
minstrels for his son’s party, and Bertie is able to disguise himself with boot polish and get ashore. Bertie returns to his cottage, where he encounters his new valet
, Brinkley, in a state of considerable drunkenness. Brinkley attacks his employer with a carving knife, before accidentally setting the cottage on fire. In the ensuing conflagration, Bertie’s banjolele is destroyed.
Hoping to find some butter to help remove the boot polish from his face, Bertie goes to Chuffnell Hall; Chuffy, however, thinking that Pauline is in love with Bertie, tells him that he ought to marry her, and refuses to (as he sees it) help Bertie in wriggling out of his obligations. Bertie then meets Jeeves, who has returned to Chuffy’s employ in order to avoid Mr. Stoker’s wrath when he finds out about the part Jeeves played in helping Bertie escape. Jeeves informs Bertie that a disagreement has broken out between Sir Roderick Glossop and the Chuffnells. Sir Roderick had blacked up and tried to entertain Master Seabury; Seabury being unappreciative, however, Sir Roderick had subjected the boy to what Jeeves tactfully calls “severe castigation”, and left the Hall. Jeeves moreover informs Bertie that Seabury has stolen all the butter in the Hall to use in a practical joke
on Sir Roderick, but that Bertie can sleep in the Dower House
, where Jeeves will bring him some the next day.
The Dower House is rendered uninhabitable, however, by the presence of Brinkley. While waiting outside and wondering what to do, he meets Sir Roderick Glossop, towards whom he feels considerably friendlier since learning of the argument with Seabury. Sir Roderick goes to Bertie’s garage to find petrol, which he says is as good as butter for removing blackface; Bertie, worried about meeting Sergeant Voules again, remains in the Hall’s grounds.
The next day, Bertie meets with Jeeves in Chuffy’s office. Their conversation is cut short, however, when Mr. Stoker arrives, hoping that Chuffy might be able to tell him where Bertie is. Meeting Jeeves, whom he has not forgiven for freeing Bertie, Mr. Stoker threatens to break the valet’s neck; Jeeves is able to disarm him, though, by claiming that he only helped his former master in order to protect Mr. Stoker from a charge of kidnapping, and tells him that Bertie has gone to the Dower House. Pauline Stoker arrives next, and tells Jeeves that she once again wishes to marry Chuffy. Jeeves leaves in order to search for Sir Roderick, and Bertie reveals himself to Pauline in the hope that she’ll be able to get him some breakfast. Frightened at Bertie’s sudden appearance, Pauline emits a piercing shriek, bringing Chuffy running to her. Their past animosities forgotten, the pair seem completely reconciled.
Mr. Stoker returns, having had a run-in with Brinkley in the Dower House. Jeeves also comes back, bearing a cable saying that some of Stoker’s relatives are contesting a will, which resulted in Mr. Stoker inheriting some fifty million dollars from his Uncle George, on the grounds that the deceased was insane. Stoker seems unconcerned, saying that Sir Roderick will testify for him that his uncle was in good mental health. It turns out, however, that Sir Roderick has been arrested trying to break into Bertie’s garage, and it seems unlikely that the nerve specialist’s testimony will carry much weight if he is imprisoned. Jeeves suggests that Bertie switch places with Sir Roderick, as he could hardly be charged with breaking into his own garage. The plan succeeds; Chuffy’s financial problems are resolved when Stoker agrees to buy the Hall from him; he and Pauline are to be wed; and Jeeves, who has a policy of never working in the household of a married gentleman, returns to Bertie’s employ.
starring Hugh Laurie
and Stephen Fry
. In the television series the banjolele
was replaced by a trombone
.
Thank You, Jeeves!
is also the name of a theatrical film from 1936, starring David Niven
and directed by Arthur Greville Collins
; aside from the presence of Bertie and Jeeves, however, none of the characters or plot elements are taken from the novel.
Jeeves
Reginald Jeeves is a fictional character in the short stories and novels of P. G. Wodehouse, being the valet of Bertie Wooster . Created in 1915, Jeeves would continue to appear in Wodehouse's works until his final, completed, novel Aunts Aren't Gentlemen in 1974, making him Wodehouse's most famous...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by P.G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on March 16, 1934 by Herbert Jenkins
Barrie & Jenkins
Barrie & Jenkins was a small British publishing house that was formed in 1964 from the merger of "Herbert Jenkins" and "Barrie & Rockcliffe". One of their most notable authors was P. G...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on April 23, 1934 by Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
The story had previously been serialised, in the Strand Magazine
Strand Magazine
The Strand Magazine was a monthly magazine composed of fictional stories and factual articles founded by George Newnes. It was first published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950 running to 711 issues, though the first issue was on sale well before Christmas 1890.Its immediate...
in the UK from August 1933 to February 1934, and in the U.S. in Cosmopolitan from January to June 1934; it would later appear in the American Family Herald & Evening Star, between March 24 and August 11, 1937.
Plot
After a falling-out concerning Bertie’sBertie Wooster
Bertram Wilberforce "Bertie" Wooster is a recurring fictional character in the Jeeves novels of British author P. G. Wodehouse. An English gentleman, one of the "idle rich" and a member of the Drones Club, he appears alongside his valet, Jeeves, whose genius manages to extricate Bertie or one of...
relentless playing of the banjolele
Banjolele
The banjolele is a four-stringed musical instrument with a small banjo-type body and a fretted ukulele neck. "Banjolele," sometimes also spelled "banjelele" or "banjulele" is a generic nickname given to the instrument, which was derived from the "banjulele-banjo", introduced by Alvin D...
, Jeeves
Jeeves
Reginald Jeeves is a fictional character in the short stories and novels of P. G. Wodehouse, being the valet of Bertie Wooster . Created in 1915, Jeeves would continue to appear in Wodehouse's works until his final, completed, novel Aunts Aren't Gentlemen in 1974, making him Wodehouse's most famous...
leaves his master’s service and finds work with Bertie’s old friend, Lord “Chuffy” Chuffnell. Bertie travels to one of Chuffy’s cottages in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
in order to continue practising his banjolele-playing without complaints from his neighbours.
Chuffy, whose high rank is matched only by his low financial status, is hoping to sell his dilapidated family manor to the American millionaire J. Washburn Stoker, who in turn plans to rent out the property to the famous “nerve specialist” Sir Roderick Glossop, who intends to marry Chuffy’s Aunt Myrtle. Chuffy has also fallen in love with Mr. Stoker’s daughter, Pauline, a former fiancée of Bertie, but feels unable to propose to her until his finances have improved enough to be able to keep her in the style to which she’s accustomed.
Upon being informed of the situation, Bertie hatches a plan to make Chuffy propose: he is going to kiss Pauline in the presence of his old friend, in the hope that Chuffy will be spurred on to propose himself. When he puts his plan into action, however, he is seen, not by Chuffy, but by J. Washburn Stoker, who is convinced that Pauline and Bertie are still in love, and that he must exercise ceaseless vigilance in order to prevent them from getting engaged again. Even worse, from Bertie’s perspective, all hopes of marriage between Chuffy and Pauline seem dashed after a fight between Mr. Stoker’s young son Dwight and Chuffy’s cousin Seabury leads to a more general row between the Chuffnells and the Stokers. Mr. Stoker returns to the yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
in which he and his family are staying, keeping Pauline a virtual prisoner onboard in order to stop her eloping with Bertie.
Chuffy writes a love letter to Pauline which Jeeves is able to smuggle aboard the yacht by pretending to enter Mr. Stoker’s employ; Pauline is so moved that she swims ashore, where she goes to stay in Bertie’s house until she can visit Chuffnell Hall in the morning. Bertie chivalrously lets her sleep in his bed whilst he tries to sleep in the garage. Unfortunately, he is seen by Police Sergeant Voules, who informs Lord Chuffnell of Bertie’s strange behaviour. Chuffy, thinking that Bertie is intoxicated, takes him back up to his bedroom. Upon discovering Pauline there, he leaps to the conclusion that she and Bertie have resumed their romantic relationship. A heated row breaks out, which ends with Pauline declaring that she never wants to see Chuffy again. The two lovers return to their respective homes. Bertie is then disturbed by Mr. Stoker, who has found Pauline missing, and jumped to the conclusion that she has run off with Bertie. Upon searching Bertie’s cottage and not finding her, however, he apologises and leaves.
The next day, Bertie gets a message from Mr. Stoker, requesting his presence onboard the yacht for his son’s birthday party. Despite his misgivings, Bertie goes, only to be locked in one of the staterooms by Mr. Stoker, who informs Bertie that he has found out about Pauline’s visit to him the previous night. He plans to force Bertie and Pauline to marry. Jeeves, however, is able to help Bertie escape: Mr. Stoker has hired some blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
minstrels for his son’s party, and Bertie is able to disguise himself with boot polish and get ashore. Bertie returns to his cottage, where he encounters his new valet
Valet
Valet and varlet are terms for male servants who serve as personal attendants to their employer.- Word origins :In the Middle Ages, the valet de chambre to a ruler was a prestigious appointment for young men...
, Brinkley, in a state of considerable drunkenness. Brinkley attacks his employer with a carving knife, before accidentally setting the cottage on fire. In the ensuing conflagration, Bertie’s banjolele is destroyed.
Hoping to find some butter to help remove the boot polish from his face, Bertie goes to Chuffnell Hall; Chuffy, however, thinking that Pauline is in love with Bertie, tells him that he ought to marry her, and refuses to (as he sees it) help Bertie in wriggling out of his obligations. Bertie then meets Jeeves, who has returned to Chuffy’s employ in order to avoid Mr. Stoker’s wrath when he finds out about the part Jeeves played in helping Bertie escape. Jeeves informs Bertie that a disagreement has broken out between Sir Roderick Glossop and the Chuffnells. Sir Roderick had blacked up and tried to entertain Master Seabury; Seabury being unappreciative, however, Sir Roderick had subjected the boy to what Jeeves tactfully calls “severe castigation”, and left the Hall. Jeeves moreover informs Bertie that Seabury has stolen all the butter in the Hall to use in a practical joke
Practical joke
A practical joke is a mischievous trick played on someone, typically causing the victim to experience embarrassment, indignity, or discomfort. Practical jokes differ from confidence tricks in that the victim finds out, or is let in on the joke, rather than being fooled into handing over money or...
on Sir Roderick, but that Bertie can sleep in the Dower House
Dower house
On an estate, a dower house is usually a moderately large house available for use by the widow of the estate-owner. The widow, often known as the "dowager" usually moves into the dower house from the larger family house on the death of her husband if the heir is married, and upon his marriage if he...
, where Jeeves will bring him some the next day.
The Dower House is rendered uninhabitable, however, by the presence of Brinkley. While waiting outside and wondering what to do, he meets Sir Roderick Glossop, towards whom he feels considerably friendlier since learning of the argument with Seabury. Sir Roderick goes to Bertie’s garage to find petrol, which he says is as good as butter for removing blackface; Bertie, worried about meeting Sergeant Voules again, remains in the Hall’s grounds.
The next day, Bertie meets with Jeeves in Chuffy’s office. Their conversation is cut short, however, when Mr. Stoker arrives, hoping that Chuffy might be able to tell him where Bertie is. Meeting Jeeves, whom he has not forgiven for freeing Bertie, Mr. Stoker threatens to break the valet’s neck; Jeeves is able to disarm him, though, by claiming that he only helped his former master in order to protect Mr. Stoker from a charge of kidnapping, and tells him that Bertie has gone to the Dower House. Pauline Stoker arrives next, and tells Jeeves that she once again wishes to marry Chuffy. Jeeves leaves in order to search for Sir Roderick, and Bertie reveals himself to Pauline in the hope that she’ll be able to get him some breakfast. Frightened at Bertie’s sudden appearance, Pauline emits a piercing shriek, bringing Chuffy running to her. Their past animosities forgotten, the pair seem completely reconciled.
Mr. Stoker returns, having had a run-in with Brinkley in the Dower House. Jeeves also comes back, bearing a cable saying that some of Stoker’s relatives are contesting a will, which resulted in Mr. Stoker inheriting some fifty million dollars from his Uncle George, on the grounds that the deceased was insane. Stoker seems unconcerned, saying that Sir Roderick will testify for him that his uncle was in good mental health. It turns out, however, that Sir Roderick has been arrested trying to break into Bertie’s garage, and it seems unlikely that the nerve specialist’s testimony will carry much weight if he is imprisoned. Jeeves suggests that Bertie switch places with Sir Roderick, as he could hardly be charged with breaking into his own garage. The plan succeeds; Chuffy’s financial problems are resolved when Stoker agrees to buy the Hall from him; he and Pauline are to be wed; and Jeeves, who has a policy of never working in the household of a married gentleman, returns to Bertie’s employ.
Adaptations
This novel was adapted into the episodes "Jeeves in the Country" and "Kidnapped!" for the 1990s television series Jeeves and WoosterJeeves and Wooster
-External links:*—An episode guide to the series, including information about which episodes were adapted from which Wodehouse stories.*—Episode guides, screenshots and quotes from the four series....
starring Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director...
and Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
. In the television series the banjolele
Banjolele
The banjolele is a four-stringed musical instrument with a small banjo-type body and a fretted ukulele neck. "Banjolele," sometimes also spelled "banjelele" or "banjulele" is a generic nickname given to the instrument, which was derived from the "banjulele-banjo", introduced by Alvin D...
was replaced by a trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
.
Thank You, Jeeves!
Thank You, Jeeves!
Thank You, Jeeves! is a comedy film starring Arthur Treacher and David Niven.Although the film bears the same title as one of P.G. Wodehouse's novels, and the two leading characters are Jeeves and Bertie Wooster , the screenplay, by Stephen Gross and Joseph Hoffman, bears no similarity to any...
is also the name of a theatrical film from 1936, starring David Niven
David Niven
James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
and directed by Arthur Greville Collins
Arthur Greville Collins
Arthur Greville Collins , was an American film director. He directed 8 films between 1935 and 1949.He was born in London, England, United Kingdom.-Selected filmography:* The Widow from Monte Carlo...
; aside from the presence of Bertie and Jeeves, however, none of the characters or plot elements are taken from the novel.
External links
- The Russian Wodehouse Society's page, with a list of characters