A solid mass of humanity, all on velvet

: humour, comedy and life in P. G. Wodehous's Jeeves saga

Abstract

In this thesis I argue that P.G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves saga is deeply embedded in a comedic tradition that uses humour in order to assuage the distress caused by a fundamental incongruity in human life: the difference between our desires of perfection and unity and what is often a stark reality. By adopting a perspective in line with Frye (1973), Goodman (1978) and Iser’s (1990) views on the relation between literature and life, I argue that a contextualised reading of the Jeeves saga is valuable, but only insofar as it provides a reading that, in line with Brooks (1994), prioritises its poetics and how it ultimately engenders meaning. I thus begin with a contextual analysis that is solely focused on establishing the mimetic aspects and sources of Wodehouse’s style, proceed to an analysis of humour and comedy, and then perform a close-reading of a representative selection of his stories and novels that bears out my argument. Ultimately, I argue that the Jeeves saga adopts a comic perspective on life, creating the good cheer and detachment that allows temporary respite from existential suffering and the pressures of convention, and thus an ability to derive greater pleasure from life, one which in no way consigns its readers to nihilistic complacency.

Date of Award	11 Nov 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Sponsors	Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Supervisor	Alexandra Lopes (Supervisor)