Indian Summer of an Uncle – P G Wodehouse
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課程筆記
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).
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練習題
免費預覽——38 題中的 8 題。註冊即可查看全部。
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
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