Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | 1963 |
| Founder | P. G. Wodehouse |
| Headquarters | New York / London , United States / United Kingdom |
| Products | Book (novel) |
Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves is a novel authored by P. G. Wodehouse, first released in the United States on 22 March 1963 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. in New York, followed by its UK publication on 16 August 1963 through Herbert Jenkins in London. This book represents the ninth installment in a series of eleven novels centered on Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves.
The narrative centers on Bertie Wooster's visit to Sir Watkyn Bassett's estate, Totleigh Towers, weaving together elements such as a prized black amber figurine, an Alpine hat, and a dispute between the engaged couple Gussie Fink-Nottle and Madeline Bassett concerning vegetarianism.
Plot
After serving temporarily as a butler at Brinkley Court, the residence of Bertie's Aunt Dahlia, Jeeves returns. Aunt Dahlia mentions that Sir Watkyn Bassett was impressed with Jeeves and had boasted to her husband, Tom Travers, a competing collector, about obtaining a black amber statuette.
Jeeves disapproves of Bertie's choice to wear a new blue Alpine hat adorned with a pink feather; nonetheless, Bertie persists in wearing it. During this time, he encounters Emerald Stoker, sister to his acquaintance Pauline Stoker, who is en route to Totleigh Towers. Reverend Harold "Stinker" Pinker is displeased because Sir Watkyn refused to grant him the vicarage necessary for marrying Stephanie "Stiffy" Byng, Sir Watkyn's niece. Stinker asks Bertie for assistance with Stiffy at Totleigh Towers; however, Bertie declines due to her reputation for causing trouble.
Gussie Fink-Nottle is troubled by his fiancée Madeline Bassett's strict vegetarianism. Jeeves advises Bertie to visit Totleigh Towers to help reconcile the couple or risk Madeline turning her affections toward Bertie instead. Although hesitant, Bertie consents.
At Totleigh Towers, Madeline mistakenly interprets Bertie's presence as an expression of romantic interest. Meanwhile, Sir Watkyn's associate Roderick Spode, Lord Sidcup, harbors secret feelings for Madeline. Madeline reveals that her father purchased the black amber statuette from Plank of nearby Hockley-cum-Meston; Stiffy estimates its value at £1,000.
Jeeves clarifies that Gussie's distress stems from Madeline's vegetarianism; Emerald Stoker, who has taken up cooking after losing her allowance due to gambling, secretly supplies Gussie with steak-and-kidney pie and has developed feelings for him.
Upon discovering that Sir Watkyn paid Plank only £5 for the statuette, Stiffy instructs Bertie to resell it at that price or she will reveal Gussie's secret consumption of meat to Madeline, which would end their engagement and potentially lead Madeline to favor Bertie. Stiffy entrusts the statuette to Bertie.
When Bertie attempts to sell the statuette back at Hockley-cum-Meston, Major Plank mistakes this for theft and threatens police involvement. Jeeves intervenes by impersonating Chief Inspector Witherspoon of Scotland Yard, accusing Bertie of being the criminal known as "Alpine Joe." This distraction enables Bertie's escape. Jeeves then discloses that Sir Watkyn actually paid £1,000 and had lied out of spite toward Tom Travers; he returns the statuette to Totleigh Towers.
Spode witnesses Gussie kissing Emerald and confronts him for betraying Madeline. When Stinker steps in, Spode strikes him; Stinker retaliates with Emerald’s assistance and knocks Spode out twice. Madeline accuses Gussie of violence; in defiance, Gussie eats ham before her eyes, ending their engagement as he elopes with Emerald.
Sir Watkyn initially offers but then withdraws the vicarage from Harold Pinker after learning about Stinker's assault on Spode. Later, Major Plank grants Pinker the vicarage after confirming his rugby prowess via phone with Inspector Witherspoon. Since Stiffy no longer needs the statuette as leverage against Sir Watkyn, she returns it through Jeeves.
While concealed behind a sofa, Bertie overhears Spode and Jeeves persuading Madeline that Bertie's visit was motivated by theft rather than affection; she subsequently breaks off their engagement. Spode proposes marriage to Madeline, who accepts.
Sir Watkyn intends to imprison Bertie for 28 days in his capacity as justice of the peace. After spending a night in jail following arrest by Constable Oates, Bertie is freed when Sir Watkyn drops charges in return for Jeeves agreeing to serve him temporarily. Jeeves plans to resign soon and return to Bertie's service. In gratitude, Bertie offers compensation; Jeeves requests only that he relinquish the Alpine hat, which Bertie consents to do.
Style
Throughout the series, Jeeves's manner of speaking remains largely unchanged, underscoring his function as a stabilizing force who shields Bertie from upheaval. Conversely, Bertie's speech is more impulsive, fostering both transparency and tension. He frequently hunts for the precise term or apt quotation, often turning to Jeeves for assistance, which humorously contrasts Bertie’s casual slang with Jeeves’s polished diction. For instance, in chapter 13:
"Hell's foundations are quivering. What do you call it when a couple of nations start off by being all palsy-walsy and then begin calling each other ticks and bounders?"
"Relations have deteriorated would be the customary phrase, sir."
"Well, relations have deteriorated between Miss Bassett and Gussie."
Over time, Bertie expands his vocabulary by adopting words introduced by Jeeves; a case in point is "contingency," initially used by Jeeves in "The Inferiority Complex of Old Sippy" and subsequently echoed by Bertie in chapter 18 of Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves: "I was thankful that there was no danger of this contingency, as Jeeves would have called it, arising."
Wodehouse frequently weaves in references and humorous distortions of well-known quotations, often placing them in absurd settings. An example appears in chapter 8 with an allusion to Longfellow’s poem "Excelsior": "However much an Aberdeen terrier may bear 'mid snow and ice a banner with the strange device Excelsior, he nearly always has to be content with dirty looks and the sharp, passionate bark."
In chapter 5, Bertie’s intense response to Sir Watkyn Bassett’s hiring of Jeeves mirrors a line from Bram Stoker's Dracula: "I reeled, and might have fallen, had I not been sitting at the time," echoing Arthur’s reaction after Lucy was staked.
Bertie often shortens expressions to their initials when context clarifies their meaning, as demonstrated between chapters 3 and 4:
"Paddington!" he shouted to the charioteer, and was gone with the wind, leaving me gaping after him, all of a twitter.
And I'll tell you why I was all of a t.
Imagery drawn from musical theatre regularly features in Bertie's narration, emphasizing the theatrical and humorous nature of the tales. For example, in chapter 15, Madeline’s response to Gussie knocking out Spode is described as: "'I hate you! I hate you!' cried Madeline, a thing I didn't know anyone ever said except in the second act of a musical comedy."
Background
The fictional rugby team Hockley-cum-Meston, overseen by Plank within the novel, had previously appeared in the 1930 Jeeves story "The Ordeal of Young Tuppy."
By September 1961, Wodehouse had mostly developed the novel’s storyline, as revealed in correspondence with his step-grandson regarding legal questions about Bertie's arrest. Within the narrative, Sir Watkyn Bassett—a Justice of the Peace—detains Bertie on theft charges and intends to sentence him unless Jeeves abandons Bertie’s service to work for Bassett instead. Wodehouse sought clarification on whether a Justice of the Peace could preside over such a trial and if charges might be dismissed after an arrest.
Publication history
Prior to its publication as a standalone novel, Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves was serialized in the February and March 1963 editions of Playboy, accompanied by illustrations from Bill Charmatz.
The dedication of the American edition was made to David Jasen.
In 1976, Avon included this novel in the collection titled Jeeves, Jeeves, Jeeves, which also contained Jeeves and the Tie That Binds and How Right You Are, Jeeves.
Reception
- Richard Armour, writing for The Los Angeles Times on 7 April 1963, lauded the book as quintessential Wodehouse, emphasizing its signature humor and storyline centered on Sir Watkyn’s daughter Madeline’s attempts to win over Bertie, who is determined to remain unattached. He observed that Jeeves once more saves Bertie from calamity.
- According to a review in The Times dated 22 August 1963, the novel maintained Wodehouse’s enduring style featuring the antics of Bertie Wooster and the composed demeanor of Jeeves. While it pleased long-time admirers, it was unlikely to draw in new readers.
Biographer Richard Usborne praised Wodehouse’s adeptness at reintroducing familiar characters and settings to generate fresh comedic episodes revolving around Bertie’s escapades.
Television
The narrative was adapted into an episode of Jeeves and Wooster titled "Trouble at Totleigh Towers", which originally broadcast on 13 June 1993. Notable deviations from the source material include:
- The addition of a curse linked to the black amber figurine, a detail not present in the original text.
- In the adaptation, Bertie clandestinely takes the statuette at night but is discovered by Sir Watkyn and Spode; subsequently, Jeeves quietly recovers it. Contrastingly, in the book, Stiffy is responsible for handing it over to Bertie.
- The episode attributes the statuette’s origins to the "Umgali" tribe, with their chief entitled to reclaim it. Bertie impersonates this chief by donning blackface and tribal attire to return it on Stiffy’s behalf but is foiled when the actual chief arrives and purchases the artifact. Such events do not appear in the original story.
- The local school treat plays a significant role in the episode, serving as a setting for various occurrences such as Gussie and Emerald’s engagement and Stinker’s vicarage, unlike in Wodehouse’s version.
- Bertie avoids incarceration and consents to escort Jeeves to Havana for a month while also relinquishing his Alpine hat.
Radio
Between 1980 and 1981, BBC adapted Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves for radio as part of its What Ho! Jeeves series, featuring Michael Hordern as Jeeves and Richard Briers portraying Bertie Wooster.
A two-part radio dramatization aired in 2018 included Martin Jarvis as Jeeves, James Callis as Bertie Wooster, Joanna Lumley portraying Aunt Dahlia, Adam Godley as Roderick Spode, Michael York as Major Plank, Ian Ogilvy as Sir Watkyn Bassett, Julian Sands as Rev. Harold Pinker, Moira Quirk playing Stiffy Byng, Elizabeth Knowelden as Madeline Bassett, Matthew Wolf as Gussie Fink-Nottle, Tara Lynne Barr as Emerald Stoker, with Kenneth Danziger voicing Cyril and Butterfield.
References
- Notes
- Bibliography
External links
- The Russian Wodehouse Society's page, containing a list of characters