Aunts Aren't Gentlemen
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | October 1974 |
| Founder | P. G. Wodehouse |
| Products | Comic novel |
Aunts Aren't Gentlemen is a comic novel authored by P. G. Wodehouse, initially released in the United Kingdom in October 1974 through Barrie & Jenkins, and later published in the United States under the title The Cat-nappers on 14 April 1975 by Simon & Schuster. This work represents the concluding novel to feature Wodehouse's renowned characters, Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves, and was the last fully finished novel prior to the author's passing.
The narrative unfolds in the countryside town of Maiden Eggesford, revolving around a plot devised by Bertie's Aunt Dahlia to abduct a cat as part of a wager. The story also delves into the dynamics between Bertie's acquaintances Orlo Porter and Vanessa Cook, while reintroducing Major Plank, a figure previously seen in Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves.
Plot
Bertie consults Harley Street physician E. Jimpson Murgatroyd due to pink spots appearing on his chest. En route, he encounters Vanessa Cook leading a demonstration alongside her fiancé Orlo J. Porter. Orlo’s inheritance is being withheld by Vanessa's father, trustee Mr. Cook, because of Orlo’s communist ideology.
While waiting at the doctor's office, Bertie crosses paths with Major Plank, who had earlier confused Bertie with a thief known as Alpine Joe. Murgatroyd prescribes fresh air and physical activity; accordingly, Aunt Dahlia arranges for Bertie to reside at Wee Nooke, a cottage near Eggesford Hall in Somerset.
Bertie mistakenly visits Eggesford Court—the residence of the Cook family—where he is accused of stealing a black-and-white cat that Potato Chip, Mr. Cook’s horse, had befriended. Major Plank advises Bertie to depart quickly. Aunt Dahlia has wagered on Colonel Briscoe's horse Simla to win an upcoming race against Potato Chip and employs poacher Herbert "Billy" Graham to kidnap the cat in order to undermine Potato Chip’s chances. Graham delivers the feline to Bertie's cottage; however, Bertie compensates him for returning it.
Vanessa breaks off her engagement with Orlo after he refuses to demand his inheritance from Mr. Cook and instead opts to marry Bertie—a prospect that greatly unsettles Bertie.
Jeeves recommends that Orlo approach Mr. Cook following an enjoyable dinner. Meanwhile, Plank recalls mistaking Bertie for Alpine Joe and suspects him of stealing the cat. When Graham fails to return the animal, Bertie attempts to do so himself but loses it along the way; ultimately, the cat finds its way back to his cottage.
After Mr. Cook denies Orlo's claim, Orlo and Vanessa elope. Mr. Cook and Plank confront Bertie under suspicion of theft and restrain him when the cat reappears. Jeeves intervenes by freeing Bertie and persuading Plank of his innocence by impersonating his solicitor.
Jeeves reveals that the cat actually belongs to his aunt, Mrs. Pigott. They reach an agreement with Mr. Cook: he retains possession of the cat until after the race and compensates Mrs. Pigott while granting Orlo access to his inheritance.
Following these events, Bertie and Jeeves travel to New York City, which Bertie finds more tranquil than Maiden Eggesford. Aunt Dahlia’s husband reports that Simla triumphed after Mr. Cook’s cat startled Potato Chip during the race. Reflecting on the upheavals instigated by aunts like Aunt Dahlia—who operates with a flexible sense of ethics—Bertie concludes that the trouble with aunts is that they are not gentlemen.
Style
Throughout the series, Bertie increasingly abbreviates words; among 143 instances (such as "the old metrop"), only 11 occur within short stories, with more than half appearing in novels published after Ring for Jeeves (which contains none due to Bertie's absence). To maintain clarity, Bertie typically introduces a term before shortening it or abbreviates commonly recognized phrases. Wodehouse employs this technique as a humorous means of reiteration. For instance, in chapter 3:
So far, I said to myself, as I put back the receiver, so g. I would have preferred, of course, to be going to the aged relative's home, where Anatole her superb chef dished up his mouth-waterers, but we Woosters can rough it, and life in a country cottage with the aged r just around the corner would be a very different thing from a country c without her coming through with conversation calculated to instruct, elevate, and amuse.
Bertie also absorbs literary quotations taught by Jeeves and renders them in colloquial terms. A prominent example derives from "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer", initially referenced in Thank You, Jeeves, which Bertie cites multiple times. In chapter 19 of Aunts Aren't Gentlemen, upon observing a stolen cat, he comments: "I looked at it with a wild surmise, as silent as those bimbos upon the peak in Darien".
Frequent allusions are made by Bertie to Shakespeare's Hamlet, particularly regarding the "fretful porpentine" passage. In chapter 7, when entrusted with holding Orlo's letters, he describes his feelings using this metaphor and later promises Jeeves an account that will "make you jump as if you'd sat on a fretful porpentine" (chapter 19).
Wodehouse regularly references Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes throughout his works up to Aunts Aren't Gentlemen. Jeeves serves as an analogue to Holmes—the astute problem solver—while Bertie parallels Watson as the admiring companion narrator. Unlike Holmes and Watson’s partnership of equals, Wodehouse injects humor by positioning Bertie as master and Jeeves as servant—though Jeeves clearly exerts control. Their dialogues echo Holmes-Watson interactions notably in chapter 5 of Aunts Aren't Gentlemen, where Jeeves deduces why Mr. Cook accuses Bertie of stealing his cat despite lacking direct evidence:
"I think I can explain, sir."
It seemed incredible. I felt like Doctor Watson hearing Sherlock Holmes talking about the one hundred and forty-seven varieties of tobacco ash and the time it takes parsley to settle in the butter dish.
"This is astounding, Jeeves," I said. "Professor Moriarty wouldn't have lasted a minute with you. You really mean the pieces of the jig-saw puzzle have come together and fallen into their place?"
"Yes, sir."
"You know all?"
"Yes, sir."
"Amazing!"
"Elementary, sir. I found the habitués of the Goose and Grasshopper a ready source of information."
At one moment in the story, Bertie's attempt to return the kidnapped cat is complicated when it mysteriously reappears at his residence afterward. Scholar Elliott Milstein proposes that Jeeves orchestrated this event deliberately to encourage Bertie's departure for New York City. Milstein observes that unlike earlier novels where Bertie's awareness of Jeeves’s strategies was more transparent, here Wodehouse challenges readers to discern these underlying intentions more subtly.
Background
Wodehouse's preparatory notes indicate that he first outlined the novel's core plot and dialogue, incorporating comedic elements afterward. The idea of "someone delivering B with the racetrack cat," initially considered for Jeeves in the Offing (1960), was eventually realized in Aunts Aren't Gentlemen. The Briscoe family and Maiden Eggesford, who appear in this story, had previously been introduced in the Drones Club tale "Tried in the Furnace" (1935), with Angelica Briscoe’s role varying between narratives.
Reception
- Susan Hill, writing for The Times (1974): Despite some critique regarding contemporary allusions, Hill observed that Wodehouse’s humor retains its distinctive quality. She highlighted his unique style with expressions such as, "She uttered a sound rather like an elephant taking its foot out of a mud hole in a Burmese teak-forest."
- William Cole, in The Saturday Review (1975): Commended The Cat-Nappers as surpassing earlier works, emphasizing its ridiculous storyline centered on a kidnapped cat meant to disrupt a racehorse. He suggested it as an excellent entry point into Wodehouse’s writing.
- Robert M. Strozier, reviewing for The New York Times Book Review (1975): Pointed out familiar Wodehouse traits—Jeeves, Bertie Wooster, theft, and quirky characters—with a conclusion that ensures no lasting damage.
- Max Hastings, from The Sunday Times (2008): Characterized Aunts Aren't Gentlemen as the concluding Bertie Wooster novel, acknowledging it might not be Wodehouse’s finest but remains reliably humorous. He noted the sharp wit and theatrical pacing that adapts well to television.
- Sundeep Khanna, writing for Mint (2015): Reflected on revisiting Aunts Aren't Gentlemen, appreciating its lasting appeal and the joyful depiction of Wodehouse’s universe.
Adaptations
The BBC Radio 4 production of Aunts Aren't Gentlemen was featured in the Book at Bedtime series, broadcast across five fifteen-minute segments from 16 to 20 December 2013. This abridged edition was adapted by Richard Hamilton, with Blake Ritson providing the voice work.
References
- Notes
- Bibliography
External links
- The Russian Wodehouse Society's page, which includes a list of characters