The Gold Bat

by P. G. Wodehouse

Overview

Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse KBE (15 October 1881 – 14 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. Born in Guildford, the third son of a British magistrate based in Hong Kong, Wodehouse spent happy teenage years at Dulwich College, to which he remained devoted all his life. After leaving school, he was employed by a bank but disliked the work and turned to writing in his spare time. His early novels were mostly school stories, but he later switched to comic fiction, creating several regular characters who became familiar to the public over the years. They include the jolly gentleman of leisure Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet Jeeves; the immaculate and loquacious Psmith; Lord Emsworth and the Blandings Castle set; the Oldest Member, with stories about golf; and Mr Mulliner, with tall tales on subjects ranging from bibulous bishops to megalomaniac movie moguls.

Most of Wodehouse's fiction is set in England, although he spent much of his life in the US and used New York and Hollywood as settings for some of his novels and short stories. He wrote a series of Broadway musical comedies during and after the First World War, together with Guy Bolton and Jerome Kern, that played an important part in the development of the American musical. He began the 1930s writing for MGM in Hollywood. In a 1931 interview, his naïve revelations of incompetence and extravagance in the studios caused a furore. In the same decade, his literary career reached a new peak.

Wodehouse worked extensively on his books, sometimes having two or more in preparation simultaneously. He would take up to two years to build a plot and write a scenario of about thirty thousand words. After the scenario was complete he would write the story. Early in his career he would produce a novel in about three months, but he slowed in old age to around six months. He used a mixture of Edwardian slang, quotations from and allusions to numerous poets, and several literary techniques to produce a prose style that has been compared to comic poetry and musical comedy. Some critics of Wodehouse have considered his work flippant, but among his fans are former British prime ministers and many of his fellow writers. (wikipedia.org)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781647993177
Publisher:	Bibliotech Press
Publication date:	03/06/2020
Pages:	140
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

English writer Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, or P.G. Wodehouse, was born on October 15, 1881, and died on February 14, 1975. He was well known for his clever and light-hearted writing, especially for the novels and short tales he wrote that starred Bertie Wooster and Jeeves and were set in the picturesque English countryside. Before turning to creating plays and books, Wodehouse started out as a humourist for different periodicals. He wrote a large amount of literature, which included several plays, essays, short tales, and more than 90 novels. His writing frequently captured the eccentricities and vices of the upper class in Britain, presenting them in a humorous and light-hearted way. Wodehouse's conduct during World War II caused criticism in his later years, notwithstanding his popularity. While residing in France in 1940, he was detained by the Germans and gave a number of radio transmissions from Berlin that were heavily criticised for showing support for the Nazis. Even though Wodehouse insisted that his acts were innocent rather than treasonous, the broadcasts caused a great deal of controversy and allegations of betrayal.

Date of Birth:

October 15, 1881

Date of Death:

February 14, 1975

Place of Birth:

Guildford, Surrey, England

Place of Death:

Southampton, New York

Education:

Dulwich College, 1894-1900

Table of Contents

II THE GOLD BAT

III THE MAYOR'S STATUE

IV THE LEAGUE'S WARNING

V MILL RECEIVES VISITORS

VI TREVOR REMAINS FIRM

VII "WITH THE COMPLIMENTS OF THE LEAGUE"

VIII O'HARA ON THE TRACK

IX MAINLY ABOUT FERRETS

X BEING A CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS

XI THE HOUSE-MATCHES

XII NEWS OF THE GOLD BAT

XIII VICTIM NUMBER THREE

XIV THE WHITE FIGURE

XV A SPRAIN AND A VACANT PLACE

XVI THE RIPTON MATCH

XVII THE WATCHERS IN THE VAULT

XVIII O'HARA EXCELS HIMSELF

XIX THE MAYOR'S VISIT

XX THE FINDING OF THE BAT

XXI THE LEAGUE REVEALED

XXII A DRESS REHEARSAL

XXIII WHAT RENFORD SAW

XXIV CONCLUSION