P.G. Wodehouse: A Poll

[Mary Sue]

What ho, fellow Eggs and Beans and Crumpets! And now a questionnaire that will test you sorely, exercising the little grey cells as never before:

(a) Who's the best Wodehouse character?

(b) Which is the best Wodehouse novel?

My own choices:
(a) Bertie Wooster (runners-up: Jeeves, Uncle Fred, Aunt Dahlia);

(b) Thank You, Jeeves (runner-up: The Code of the Woosters)

[kathycf]

a.) Aunt Agatha is horrible, yet I admire that she never takes any guff. (and Jeeves, naturally)
b) Gonna have to go with The Code of the Woosters...

[Mary Sue]

Yeah, actually I like Aunt Agatha too. Granted that she's an infernal being who conducts human sacrifices and chews rats with her bare teeth, she's kinda got potential. Like any elemental force of nature she's ruthless and determined. She sweeps all opposition aside. You've gotta love that! I was sorry to see her disappear, after the short stories. She never makes a live appearance in any of the novels. Notwithstanding she remains a powerful offstage presence, huh?

Did Bertie really confront her at the end of The Mating Season? And give her "what for"? Doubtful. But if he did stand up to her, what a great scene that must have been. As good as the "Pearls Mean Tears" finale.

[Chandrika Sahai]

My fav will be Galahad Threepwood...Bertie follows
Code of the woosters wins hands down!

what is the best wodehouse destination?

mine will be the blandings castle!

[Mary Sue]

Best character: Bertie Wooster, of course. (With Jeeves as the runner-up) .
Best book: The Code of the Woosters

Best Wodehouse Destination: It all depends on your agenda . If you want to fall in love, try romantic Valley Fields. If you want to impersonate somebody else, then make it Blandings Castle. If you want to consult a mastermind, go to 3a Berkeley Square, London W1. But if you just want a good laugh---head for the Drones Club!

[ballb]

Aunt Agatha who wears barbed wire next to the skin and turns into a werewolf at the full moon.

Also Lord Emsworth should rate a mention. And what about Roderick Glossop?

Favourite novel? I would struggle to limit it to one. But Joy In The Morning must be up there in the top flight.

[tockus]

I enjoy the Blandings novels and short stories very much. A few years ago the BBC in the U.K. broadcast a feature length play of - I think - 'Heavy Weather' It was marvellous. especially as Wodehouse is difficult to transfer to the screen as most of his humour is in his prose, rather than the dialogue.
I taped it at the time and watched it often. but then accidentally taped over it!

[Dante Wodehouse]

Uncle Percy. Aunt Agatha's counterpart who, nonetheless, is terrified of her. He also wears Sinbad the Sailor costumes while conducting secret business meetings.

In terms of most laughter, probably Jeeves and the Mating Season. It was the first Jeeves book I had ever been exposed to, and it blew me away. Also, even though I had never heard of her before, all aspects of her personality were able to be conveyed merely by virtue of her name, and the following paragraph: "She is the sloppiest, mushiest, sentimentalist young God-help-us who ever thought the stars were God's daisy chain, and that every time a fairy hiccups a wee baby is born. She is squashy and soupy; her favorite reading is Christopher Robbin and Winnie the Pooh. I can perhaps best sum it up by saying that she is the ideal mate for Gussie Fink-Nottle." One of the three funniest paragraphs I have ever read.

[pgwodehousefan]

Alright, this is the meanest questionnaire ever but as a girl who would sacrifice her soul at the altar of Wodehouse I can't resist answering. Bertie, Psmith and all those wonderful, loving, kindhearted heroes, both the smart ones and the big simple souls from his stand alone novels which, I feel are largely ignored.

[bwwhite]

Favorite character:
Bertie (with Psmith a close second)

Best novel (that I've read so far--out of about 15 or so):
Picadilly Jim--laugh-out-loud funny.

[Medley Brogues]

His name escapes me, but it has to be the alcoholic chap in 'Laughing Gas' who keeps thinking he is hallucinating.

It's also, by the way, one of the funniest books I have ever read. Especially like all the talk of 'a poke in the snoot'. Have been muttering that to people at work - thankfully they have no idea what I'm talking about...

[MarkBastable]

Possibly Psmith. Then again, maybe Ukridge. It's almost impossible not to pick Wooster though, even knowing he'll win hands down.

I couldn't pick one Wodehouse novel, anymore than I could pick one Beatles song, one Picasso painting or one Daffy Duck cartoon.

[yaifibar]

Best Character: Roderick Spode (runners up: Ukridge and Jeeves)
Best Novel: Code of The Woosters (runner up: Love Among the Chickens)

[nandakishore]

Bertie Wooster... and Right Ho, Jeeves.

Gussie Fink-Nottle's drunken speech at the village school has to be one of the funniest passages in world literature.

[dafydd manton]

Having gone to Market Snodsbury Grammar School (real name Hanley Castle Grammar), I'd go for Gussie Finknottle. Chap's a shower, o' course, rummy to a degree.

What Ho, Jeeves!

[John Drinkwater]

I think it's an outrage that Psmith isn't universally recognized as the best Wodehouse character. Psmith's in his own category at the top. Then there's the second tier which includes Bertie, Jeeves, Ukridge, and Uncle Fred (hope I'm not leaving anyone out). Third tier is Gally, Emsworth and one off characters like Piccadilly Jim. The Mulliner stories are some of the best, but you can't say the Mulliner character himself much qualifies.

[mona amon]

Favourite character - Bertie Wooster

Favourite novel - It's not a novel but a short story - The Crime Wave at Blandings.

[kev67]

Favourite character - Steggles, the Moriaty to Jeeves' Sherlock Holmes.

Favourite novel - can't remember, but one of my favourite chapters was written from Jeeve's point of view in which Bertie Wooster is manipulated into making an off-the-cuff speech for assembly at a girls' school. I also like the chapter in another book where Steggles and Jeeves take opposing bets at a school sports day.

[wordeater]

Character: Wooster, closely followed by Jeeves. (It's a bit like chosing between Laurel and Hardy.)

Novel: The Inimitable Jeeves. Sometimes considered a short story collection, but there is one big storyline, so I would call it a novel.