Indian Summer of an Uncle – P G Wodehouse

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Notes de leçon

The story at a glance

"The Indian Summer of an Uncle" by P. G. Wodehouse (1881–1975), from×Very Good, Jeeves×(1930).
Narrated by the cheerful, not-very-clever young gentleman Bertie Wooster, with his brilliant valet Jeeves.
Bertie's fat, elderly Uncle George (Lord Yaxley) wants to marry Rhoda Platt, a young waitress at his club. Formidable Aunt Agatha orders Bertie to buy the girl off.
Jeeves's plan brings George together with Rhoda's aunt, Mrs Wilberforce — who turns out to be Maudie, the barmaid he loved and was forced to give up decades ago. George marries her instead.
Key ideas: class and snobbery, love across the years, comedy of manners, the clever servant, family authority.

The problem

Bertie boasts he is "Old Lynx-Eye" who "observe[s] and deduce[s]" — comic irony, since he understands little.
Uncle George is a fat "prominent London clubman" who talks endlessly about "the lining of his stomach".
He simpers in the mirror: a young girl needs "The sturdy oak, not the sapling" — he is in love.
Jeeves explains the "Indian summer": older gentlemen feeling "a sort of temporarily renewed youth".
The girl is Rhoda Platt of Wistaria Lodge, East Dulwich, a waitress at the Buffers. Bertie: "The proletariat!" Jeeves: "The lower middle classes, sir."

Aunt Agatha's plan

Aunt Agatha — "the Family Curse" — arrives, horrified: the marriage "must be stopped".
She refuses to consult Jeeves — discussing family matters with a manservant is beneath the family's "position".
The family history: years ago George loved Maudie, a barmaid at the Criterion; the family paid her off.
Agatha sends Bertie with a blank cheque (about £100) to buy off the girl. Bertie warns that in novels the girl always wins sympathy with "clear, steady eyes".
At Wistaria Lodge, amid stuffed birds, the girl's large, friendly aunt (orange hair, magenta dress) mistakes Bertie for the doctor and asks him to examine her knee — and her spine. He loses his nerve.

Jeeves's scheme

Jeeves suggests confronting George with the aunt, "definitely of the people", who plans to live with the couple — surely that will put him off.
Aunt Agatha forbids it; Bertie does it anyway — "doing good by stealth".
At lunch Mrs Wilberforce reveals she was a barmaid at the Criterion; she calls George "Piggy". She is Maudie!
George arrives: "Piggy!" "Maudie!" — they bond at once over the lining of their stomachs. Bertie flees to the Drones'.
George announces his engagement to Mrs Wilberforce "between the sweets and cheese courses". Agatha, delighted, wonders which Wilberforces — Essex or Cumberland? Bertie: "And one in East Dulwich."

The twist and ending

Jeeves knew all along that Mrs Wilberforce was George's barmaid.
His real aim: help his friend Smethurst, a gentleman's gentleman who has an "understanding" with Rhoda — now free to follow her heart.
He argues Maudie will be an "ideal mate": she will check George's over-eating and drinking.
"Kind hearts are more than coronets" (Tennyson) — Jeeves's gentle rebuke to snobbery.
No one wants to tell Aunt Agatha; they escape by car. Bertie's parting misquotation: "Exit hurriedly, pursued by a bear."

Methods, themes and comparisons

First-person comic narrator: Bertie's slang ("the divine pash", "Toodle-oo") and misunderstandings create humour and dramatic irony.
Jeeves corrects Bertie's quotations ("Guinea stamp, sir"; "The poet Burns") — the servant is cleverer than the master.
Satire of class snobbery: Agatha's horror at "the proletariat", her concern for family "position", the Wilberforce joke.
Comic reversals: the plan to put George off brings him his old love; the barmaid paid off long ago becomes Lady Yaxley.
Warmth: a happy ending for two older people and two young lovers.
Section B pairings: "The Shrinking Shoe" (courtship comedy), "Gabriel-Ernest" (satire of the gentry), "Lappin and Lapinova" (marriage).

Diapos

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1.Who wrote 'Indian Summer of an Uncle'?
Easy
- AP G Wodehouse
- BSaki
- COscar Wilde
- DEvelyn Waugh
2.Who narrates the story?
Easy
- AJeeves
- BUncle George
- CAunt Agatha
- DBertie Wooster
3.What is Uncle George's title?
Easy
- AThe Duke of Dulwich
- BLord Buffers
- CLord Yaxley
- DSir George Wooster
4.Whom does Uncle George first plan to marry?
Easy
- AMrs Wilberforce
- BRhoda Platt, a waitress at his club
- CAunt Agatha's friend
- DA chorus girl from Pittsburgh
5.What does Jeeves mean by an 'Indian summer'?
Medium
- AA temporary renewal of youthful feeling in an older man
- BA holiday in India
- CA warm autumn day only
- DA club dinner
6.What is Uncle George's favourite topic of conversation?
Medium
- AHorse racing
- BPolitics
- CHis ties
- DThe lining of his stomach
7.What does Aunt Agatha want Bertie to do?
Medium
- ATake George abroad
- BAsk Jeeves's advice
- COffer the girl money to give George up
- DMarry the girl himself
8.Why does Aunt Agatha refuse to consult Jeeves?
Medium
- AShe has never met him
- BShe thinks family matters should not be discussed with a servant
- CShe thinks Jeeves is stupid
- DJeeves is on holiday

Plus de questions

9.What does the girl's aunt mistake Bertie for?
Medium
- AThe doctor
- BA policeman
- CA salesman
- DLord Yaxley
10.What was Jeeves's stated reason for bringing George and the aunt together?
Medium
- ATo introduce old friends
- BTo sell her the flat
- CTo make Aunt Agatha happy
- DMeeting such a relative, who would live with them, might put him off
11.Where did Mrs Wilberforce work as a barmaid?
Medium
- AThe Drones'
- BHarrogate
- CThe Criterion
- DThe Buffers
12.What did Maudie call George?
Medium
- AOld Bean
- BPiggy
- CGeorgie
- DLynx-Eye
13.What do George and Maudie immediately bond over?
Medium
- AThe lining of their stomachs
- BHorse racing
- CTheir families
- DPoetry
14.What is Jeeves's hidden motive?
Medium
- ATo marry Rhoda himself
- BTo get a bigger salary
- CTo anger Aunt Agatha
- DTo free Rhoda for his friend Smethurst
15.Why does Jeeves think Maudie will be 'an ideal mate' for George?
Medium
- AShe knows Aunt Agatha
- BShe is young
- CShe will check his over-eating and drinking
- DShe is rich
16.Which quotation does Jeeves use to rebuke snobbery?
Medium
- AExit, pursued by a bear
- BKind hearts are more than coronets
- CTo be or not to be
- DAll the world's a stage
17.What is the joke in Bertie's reply 'And one in East Dulwich'?
Medium
- AAgatha assumes Mrs Wilberforce is from a grand family, but she is a former barmaid from the suburbs
- BBertie lives in East Dulwich
- CThere is no such place
- DAgatha lives there
18.What is ironic about Bertie calling himself 'Old Lynx-Eye'?
Medium
- AHe has excellent eyesight
- BHe is a detective
- CHe is Jeeves's master in cleverness
- DHe sees very little; Jeeves understands everything
19.Which characters appear? (select all that apply)
Medium
- ASherlock Holmes
- BLady Fareway
- CAunt Agatha
- DMrs Wilberforce
- EJeeves
20.Which details show Aunt Agatha's snobbery? (select all that apply)
Medium
- APraising Jeeves
- BHorror at a waitress in the family
- CRefusing to discuss family matters with a servant
- DWondering whether Mrs Wilberforce is an Essex or Cumberland Wilberforce
- EInviting Maudie to tea
21.Which comic methods does Wodehouse use? (select all that apply)
Medium
- ABertie's slang and misunderstandings
- BJeeves correcting quotations
- CComic reversal of the plan
- DTragic death scenes
- EGothic horror
22.Uncle George ends up marrying Rhoda Platt.
Easy
True or false?
23.Bertie successfully offers money to the girl.
Easy
True or false?
24.Years ago, George's family paid off the barmaid he loved.
Easy
True or false?
25.Jeeves did not know Mrs Wilberforce was George's old love.
Medium
True or false?
26.Aunt Agatha is pleased when she hears George will marry Mrs Wilberforce.
Medium
True or false?
27.Bertie stays for the whole lunch with George and Maudie.
Medium
True or false?
28.At the end Jeeves and Bertie decide not to tell Aunt Agatha and drive away.
Medium
True or false?
29.Match each character to their role.
Medium
- Bertie Wooster
- Jeeves
- Aunt Agatha
- Mrs Wilberforce
- Comic narrator
- Clever valet who arranges everything
- Snobbish family tyrant
- George's old barmaid love, Maudie
30.Match each quotation to what it shows.
Medium
- Old Lynx-Eye
- The sturdy oak, not the sapling
- The lower middle classes, sir
- Kind hearts are more than coronets
- Bertie's comic self-image
- George's vanity in love
- Jeeves's precise correction
- The story's moral against snobbery
31.Put these events in order.
Medium
- George and Maudie recognise each other
- Uncle George says he plans to marry
- Bertie visits Wistaria Lodge
- Aunt Agatha phones with the news of the engagement
32.Complete the sentence.
Easy
Rhoda Platt works as a ____ at George's club.
33.Complete the reunion.
Medium
'Piggy!' '____!'
34.Complete Jeeves's quotation.
Medium
Kind hearts are more than ____.
35.What is the name of Jeeves's friend who loves Rhoda?
Easy
36.In which suburb does Rhoda Platt live?
Medium
37.Explain how Wodehouse presents Jeeves as cleverer than Bertie.
Medium
38.Explore how Wodehouse satirises class snobbery in the story.
Hard

Notes de révision

## Overview - P. G. Wodehouse, *Very Good, Jeeves* (**1930**). Narrator **Bertie Wooster**; valet **Jeeves**. ## Plot - "Old Lynx-Eye" Bertie sees **Uncle George** (Lord Yaxley, fat clubman obsessed with "the lining of his stomach") is in love: "The sturdy oak, not the sapling". Jeeves: an "**Indian summer**". - Girl: **Rhoda Platt**, waitress at the Buffers, Wistaria Lodge, **East Dulwich** — "The lower middle classes, sir." - **Aunt Agatha**: won't consult a servant; sends Bertie with a **blank cheque**. Family history: **Maudie**, barmaid at the **Criterion**, paid off. - Bertie mistaken for the **doctor**; the aunt's knee; he loses his nerve. - Jeeves's plan: George meets the aunt. **Mrs Wilberforce** = **Maudie**: "Piggy!" "Maudie!" — stomachs; engaged. - Agatha: Essex or Cumberland Wilberforces? Bertie: "And one in East Dulwich." - Twist: Jeeves **knew**; frees Rhoda for **Smethurst**; Maudie will look after George. "**Kind hearts are more than coronets.**" Escape by car. ## Themes - Class and snobbery; love across time; master and servant; comedy.

Indian summer: A late burst of youthful feeling in later life.
Comedy of manners: Comedy that mocks the customs and snobbery of a social class.
Dramatic irony: Readers understand more than Bertie does.
Unreliable narrator: Bertie, whose judgements are comically wrong.
Satire: Mocking folly — here class snobbery.
Valet: A gentleman's personal servant — Jeeves.
Mésalliance: A marriage to someone of a lower social class.
Comic reversal: A plan that produces the opposite of its intended result.

Cartes mémo

Who narrates?

Bertie Wooster.

Uncle George's title?

Lord Yaxley.

Whom does George want to marry first?

Rhoda Platt, a waitress at his club.

What is an 'Indian summer'?

A temporary renewal of youthful romance in an older man.

Aunt Agatha's plan?

Buy the girl off with a blank cheque.

What happens at Wistaria Lodge?

The aunt thinks Bertie is the doctor and shows him her knee; he loses his nerve.

Who is Mrs Wilberforce?

Maudie — George's old barmaid love from the Criterion.

What do George and Maudie bond over?

The lining of their stomachs.

Jeeves's hidden aim?

Free Rhoda for his friend Smethurst.

Jeeves's moral?

'Kind hearts are more than coronets' (Tennyson).

Bertie's snobbery joke?

Essex or Cumberland Wilberforces? 'And one in East Dulwich.'

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