History Literature / JeevesAndWooster

** In the one story narrated by Jeeves, ("Bertie Changes His Mind") Bertie suddenly wants a daughter, and Jeeves plots to put Bertie off the idea by sticking him in a position where he would be forced to speak at a girl's school, a veritable nightmare for someone like him. We're used to Jeeves employing ruthless tactics against Bertie to get his way, but there's a moment when Jeeves nearly wavers in his plan:
--->'''Jeeves:''' Mr Wooster's mouth fell open, as he stared at me in horror. I am fond of Mr Wooster, and I confess I came near to melting as I looked at his pale, anxious face.

* BreakTheHaughty: The central plot driver of ''Right Ho, Jeeves''. Besides Jeeves' "pig-headed" opposition to his fashionable new mess jacket, Bertie is completely fed up with his friends and relatives trampling over ''him'' in their rush to get his ''valet's'' advice. He forbids Jeeves from interfering again and takes everyone's problems on himself. Bertie repeatedly points out how much superior his ideas are to Jeeves' throughout the novel, but they're predictably disastrous for all who implement them. By the time he's forced to haul Jeeves in to fix things, an entire house party is locked out of the house on a dark night. Jeeves sends Bertie on an eighteen-mile bicycle ride for the only available key... not before smirkingly recounting an anecdote about a horrible bicycle accident. After finding out his journey has been for nothing, a sore and weary Bertie returns home to find everyone celebrating how ''Jeeves'' has solved all their troubles. It turns out that Bertie was cat's-paw in Jeeves' scheme to focus everyone's anger away from each other, and when Jeeves reveals that he's also "accidentally" ruined the mess jacket, Bertie has no choice but to let it all go.

'''Jeeves:''' Mr Wooster's mouth fell open, as he stared at me in horror. I am fond of Mr Wooster, and I confess I came near to melting as I looked at his pale, anxious face.

* MistakenForCheating: In ''The Code of the Woosters'', Gussie Fink-Nottle tries to remove a fly from Stiffie Byng's eye at (of course) exactly the wrong moment.

...Thankfully, Bertie's ServileSnarker ''uber''-valet (''not'' butler[[hottip:1:though if the call comes, he can butle with the best of them.]]), [[TheJeeves Reginald Jeeves]], is fully as capable as Bertie is ineffectual. With, apparently, the same effort most people put into buttoning their cuffs -- and without so much as a flicker in his coolly correct facade -- Jeeves steps in when all seems hopeless, rescues Bertie and/or his friends from their entanglements and [[StatusQuoIsGod restores the status quo]]. Often several times per book... because the fact that Bertie and co. are involved means there's always a chance the best-laid plans will go awry.

* HugeGuyTinyGirl: The Rev. 'Stinker' Pinker and his fiancee, Stephanie 'Stiffy' Byng.

* {{MacGuffin}}: This is very often a diamond or pearl necklace, though perhaps the most famous is the seventeenth-century English (''not'' Modern Dutch!) silver cow-creamer, the attempted theft of which starts off an entire multi-book uproar in Bertie's love life. The French chef Anatole often serves as a LivingMacGuffin.

* AccidentalMarriage: The Jeeves books are ''made'' of Accidental Engagements. Add to that the fact that poor Bertie can't seem to decide whether or not he wants to stay a bachelor...

...Thankfully, Bertie's ServileSnarker ''uber''-valet (''not'' butler[[hottip:*: though if the call comes, he can butle with the best of them. ]]), [[TheJeeves Reginald Jeeves]], is fully as capable as Bertie is ineffectual. With, apparently, the same effort most people put into buttoning their cuffs -- and without so much as a flicker in his coolly correct facade -- Jeeves steps in when all seems hopeless, rescues Bertie and/or his friends from their entanglements and [[StatusQuoIsGod restores the status quo]]. Often several times per book... because the fact that Bertie and co. are involved means there's always a chance the best-laid plans will go awry.

...Thankfully, Bertie's ServileSnarker ''uber''-valet (''not'' butler), [[TheJeeves Reginald Jeeves]], is fully as capable as Bertie is ineffectual. With, apparently, the same effort most people put into buttoning their cuffs -- and without so much as a flicker in his coolly correct facade -- Jeeves steps in when all seems hopeless, rescues Bertie and/or his friends from their entanglements and [[StatusQuoIsGod restores the status quo]]. Often several times per book... because the fact that Bertie and co. are involved means there's always a chance the best-laid plans will go awry.

The plots tend to follow a set formula: life would be just about perfect for our single and very wealthy young man-about-London-town were it not for his inability to say no when his even goofier friends and/or imposing aunts come asking favours. Most often these are tied into typically Wodehousean love affairs, rife with comic misunderstanding and convoluted scheming, meaning that Bertie generally finds himself 'accidentally engaged' at least once or twice a book (in at least one case, on and off over the course of several books). Of course, always the perfect gentleman, he would never correct a lady...

* DarkSecret: Jeeves reveals wannabe Fascist leader Roderick Spode's terrible secret to Bertie: [[spoiler:Spode also owns a popular ladies' lingerie boutique]]. Bertie quickly catches on to the possibilities for blackmail.

* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Madeline Bassett and Florence Craye believe that this is the reason Bertie lets them go. Since he's a gentleman, he'd never tell them that he's actually ecstatic to get rid of them, with the result that they're so impressed by his noble nature they keep taking him ''back'' whenever their current fiance displeases them.

The plots tend to follow a set formula: life would be just about perfect for our single and very wealthy young man-about-London-town were it not for his inability to say no when his even goofier friends and/or imposing aunts come asking favours. Most often these are tied into typically Wodehousean love affairs, rife with comic misunderstanding and convoluted scheming, meaning that Bertie generally finds himself 'accidentally engaged' at least once or twice a book (in at least one case, on and off over the course of several books). Of course, still being the perfect gentleman -- not to say a bit dim -- he would never correct a lady...

...Thankfully, Bertie's ServileSnarker ''uber''-valet (''not'' butler), [[TheJeeves Reginald Jeeves]], is fully as capable as Bertie is ineffectual. With, apparently, the same effort most people put into buttoning their cuffs, without so much as a flicker in his coolly correct facade, Jeeves steps in when all seems hopeless, rescues Bertie and/or his friends from their entanglements and [[StatusQuoIsGod restores the status quo]]. Often several times per book... because the fact that Bertie and co. are involved means there's always a chance the best-laid plans will go awry.

Arthur Treacher was well-known as the embodiment of Jeeves in a series of films in the 1930s, with DavidNiven taking the part of Bertie Wooster. In the Sixties, Ian Carmichael ([[HeAlsoDid also known]] for playing LordPeterWimsey) as Bertie and Dennis Price as Jeeves appeared in the TV series ''The World of Wooster''. (It is on record that Wodehouse did not care much for any of these adaptations.)

* CompromisingMemoirs: Sir Watkin writes his Memoirs and several parties take offense at the depiction of the now respectable pillars of society as the kind of roaring youths that would not have gone out of place in the Drones Club. Oddly enough, this does not include most of the people so depicted, who seem to like the idea that the youth may recall that they too were young once.
* CoolOldLady: Bertie Wooster's Aunt Dahlia.

* ExtremeDoormat: Bertie lets himself be talked into just about anything.
* FatalAttractor: Bingo Little of ''Literature/JeevesAndWooster'' is always falling in love with girls of low social station.

* HugeGuyTinyGirl: The Rev. 'Stinker' Pinker and his fiancee Stiffy.
* HypercompetentSidekick: Jeeves.

* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Madeline Bassett and Florence Craye believe that this is the reason Bertie lets them go. Since he's a gentleman, he'd never tell them that he's happy to get rid of them.

* LoveFreak: Madeline Bassett, who considers stars to be God's daisy chain.

* NaziNobleman: Roderick Spode.

* NotGoodWithPeople: Gussy Fink-Nottle finds newts easy, people difficult. Especially women.

* RansackedRoom: In ''The Code of the Woosters'', Stiffy Byng has hidden a notebook (long story) in order to blackmail Bertie into going along with her schemes. Bertie insists to Jeeves that they should search her room first, because Bertie has read a detective novel in which the author asserts that the top of the wardrobe is "every woman's favourite hiding-place". Unfortunately they don't get very far at all in the subsequent ransacking before Stiffy's bad-tempered Scottish terrier discovers them.

* TalksLikeASimile: Comedic similes are a staple of his writing.
* TitleDrop: ''Thank You, Jeeves'', ''Right Ho, Jeeves'', ''The Code Of The Woosters'', ''Joy In The Morning''

* HeterosexualLifePartners: Bertie and Jeeves, their official relationship notwithstanding.

...Thankfully, Bertie's ServileSnarker ''uber''-valet (''not'' butler), [[TheJeeves Reginald Jeeves]], is fully as capable as Bertie is ineffectual. With, apparently, the same effort most people put into buttoning their cuffs, without ever once even dropping his coolly correct facade, Jeeves steps in when all seems hopeless, rescues Bertie and/or his friends from their entanglements and [[StatusQuoIsGod restores the status quo]]. Often several times per book... because the fact that Bertie and co. are involved means there's always a chance the best-laid plans will go awry.

...Thankfully, Bertie's ServileSnarker ''uber''-valet (''not'' butler), [[TheJeeves Reginald Jeeves]], is fully as capable as Bertie is ineffectual. With, apparently, the same effort most people put into buttoning their cuffs, without ever once even dropping his coolly correct facade, Jeeves steps in when all seems hopeless, rescues Bertie and/or his friends from their entanglements and [[StatusQuoIsGod restores the status quo]]. Often, several times per book... because the fact that Bertie and co. are involved means there's always a chance the best-laid plans will go awry.

...Thankfully, Bertie's ServileSnarker ''uber''-valet (''not'' butler), [[TheJeeves Reginald Jeeves]], is fully as capable as Bertie is ineffectual. With, apparently, the same effort most people put into buttoning their cuffs -- without ever once even dropping his coolly correct facade -- Jeeves steps in when all seems hopeless, rescues Bertie and/or his friends from their entanglements and [[StatusQuoIsGod restores the status quo]]... often several times per book. The fact that Bertie and co. are involved means there's always a chance the best-laid plans will go awry.

* RansackedRoom: In ''The Code of the Woosters'', Stiffy Byng has hidden a notebook (long story) in order to blackmail Bertie into going along with her schemes. Bertie insists to Jeeves that they should search her room first, because Bertie has read a detective novel in which the author asserts that the top of the wardrobe is "every woman's favourite hiding-place". Unfortunately they don't find it there, and don't get very far at all in the subsequent ransacking before Stiffy's Scottish terrier discovers them.

* RansackedRoom: In ''The Code of the Woosters'', Stiffy Byng has hidden a notebook (long story) in order to blackmail Bertie into going along with her schemes. Bertie insists to Jeeves that they should search her room first, because Bertie has read a detective novel in which the author asserts that the top of the wardrobe is "every woman's favourite hiding-place".

...Thankfully, Bertie's ServileSnarker ''uber''-valet (''not'' butler), [[TheJeeves Reginald Jeeves]], is fully as capable as Bertie is ineffectual. With, apparently, the same effort most people put into buttoning their cuffs -- and without ever once dropping his coolly correct facade -- Jeeves steps in when all seems hopeless, rescues Bertie and/or his friends from their entanglements and [[StatusQuoIsGod restores the status quo]]... often several times per book. The fact that Bertie and co. are involved means there's always a chance the best-laid plans will go awry.

* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Stinker and Stiffy.

* {{MacGuffin}}: This is very often a diamond or pearl necklace, though perhaps the most famous is the Seventeenth-Century English (''not'' Modern Dutch!) Silver Cow-Creamer, the attempted theft of which starts off an entire multi-book uproar in Bertie's love life. The French chef Anatole often serves as a LivingMacGuffin.

* RansackedRoom: In ''The Code of the Woosters'' Jeeves and Bertie search Stiffy Byng's room because Bertie reads a detective novel containing the trope that the top of the cupboard is "every woman's favourite hiding-place".

* DarkSecret: Jeeves reveals British fascist leader Sir Roderick Spode's terrible secret to Bertie: [[spoiler:Spode owns a ladies' fashion boutique]]. Should this become widely known it would ruin his reputation.

** Mr. Trotter avoids knighthood for fear of having his first name exposed to public view (it's Lemuel). Rumour has it that his author avoided knighthood for the same reason.

* IntoxicationEnsues: Gussie Fink-Nottle's hilarious speech at the grammar school in ''Right Ho, Jeeves''.

* {{MacGuffin}}: This is very often a diamond or pearl necklace, though perhaps the most famous is the Seventeenth-Century English (''not'' Modern Dutch!) Silver Cow-Creamer, the attempted theft of which starts off an entire multi-book uproar in Bertie's love life. The French chef Anatole often serves as a LivingMacGuffin.

...Thankfully, Bertie's ServileSnarker ''uber''--valet (''not'' butler), [[TheJeeves Reginald Jeeves]], is fully as capable as Bertie is ineffectual. With, apparently, the same effort most people put into buttoning their cuffs -- and without ever once dropping his coolly correct facade -- Jeeves steps in when all seems hopeless, rescues Bertie and/or his friends from their entanglements and [[StatusQuoIsGod restores the status quo]]... often several times per book. The fact that Bertie and co. are involved means there's always a chance the best-laid plans will go awry.

...Thankfully, Bertie's ServileSnarker valet (''not'' butler), [[TheJeeves Reginald Jeeves]], is fully as capable as Bertie is ineffectual. With, apparently, the same effort most people put into buttoning their cuffs, Jeeves rescues Bertie and/or his friends from their entanglements and [[StatusQuoIsGod restores the status quo]].

PGWodehouse's most famous UpperClassTwit, Bertram Wilberforce "Bertie" Wooster, is the character who probably best embodies Wodehouse's gift for language. As narrator, Bertie expresses himself with a loopy eloquence virtually unmatched in comic literature, giving this series its much-beloved CloudCuckooLander sense of humor.

The plots tend to follow a set formula: life would be just about perfect for our single and very wealthy young man-about-London-town were it not for his inability to say no when his even goofier friends and/or imposing aunts come asking favours. Generally these are tied into typically Wodehousean love affairs, rife with comic misunderstanding and convoluted scheming, meaning that Bertie generally finds himself 'accidentally engaged' at least once or twice a book (in at least one case, on and off over the course of several books). Of course, still being the perfect gentleman -- not to say a bit dim -- he would never correct a lady...

PGWodehouse's most famous UpperClassTwit, Bertram Wilberforce "Bertie" Wooster, is the character who probably best embodies Wodehouse's gift for language. Bertie expresses himself with a loopy eloquence, giving this series its much-beloved CloudCuckooLander sense of humor. His ServileSnarker valet (''not'' butler), [[TheJeeves Reginald Jeeves]], is as capable as Bertie is ineffectual. With, apparently, the same effort most people put into buttoning their cuffs, Jeeves rescues Bertie and/or his friends from their entanglements and [[StatusQuoIsGod restores the status quo]].

Perhaps most famously, the Jeeves stories formed the basis of the popular early '90s series ''JeevesAndWooster'', starring StephenFry and HughLaurie, respectively.