The Code of the Woosters

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Author: PG Wodehouse
Acquired in: May 2019



If there is ever a strain of monotony in a Wodehouse book, check what you're reading again; you may have picked up something else. Trust Wodehouse to wring humour out of crusty old manors with equally crusty old men.

Bertie and Jeeves, the aristocrat-butler duo are at odds at the beginning of the book. While Jeeves presses a disinterested Bertie to book a world cruise, trouble arrives in the form of a newt enthusiast, a cow-creamer and the usual menagerie of angsty lovers. What is a cow creamer? Well, that's a cow-shaped pitcher for holding cream or milk. As simple as such a utensil may seem, things get heated up between silver crockery collectors and arch-nemeses Sir Watkyn Bassett and Bertie's old Uncle Tom, both of whom are vying for the same antique pitcher. With Aunt Dahlia imploring him to secure the curios to preserve the Woosters' dignity, the family-proud Bertie sets off to Totleigh Towers, albeit not finding his mission as easy as his shrewd aunt made it to be. Thrown in among this lot is Bertie's friends Gussie and Stephanie who decide to unload their troubles onto an exasperated Bertie, who, of course, turns to the all-knowing Jeeves for help. 

As Wodehouse stories go, this novel is no different from his other works, but still packs a hilarious punch. I never get tired of Jeeves' dry wit and classical references. But what never ceases to amaze me is the fact that even the silliest plot in a Wodehouse novel doesn't feel idiotic at all! At first glance, a feud about a cow-creamer is hardly worth my time, I would say. However, only Wodehouse can make sense out of nonsense, an ability I greatly admire. 

Despite the riot, I wonder if reading his other books is worth an effort anymore, especially because the others might be about aristocratic bunglers, a theme I'm beginning to tire of. The Code of the Woosters is preposterously funny, yet makes me feel like there's nothing more Wodehouse can offer apart from more witticisms and timely interventions by an astute protagonist.



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