Psmith, Journalist

Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville), 1881-1975Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.0

Word count: 322K words
Chapters: 33

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Psmith, Journalist by P. G. WodehouseAuthor: Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville), 1881-1975,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Apr 1, 2001

Editor's review

One of Wodehouse's early works, it follows the young gentleman Psmith as he takes a job at a newspaper office and, with wit and poise, navigates the absurdities of the news world. The book carries the author's signature English humor throughout: brisk dialogue, cascading misunderstandings, and characters who commit comic follies with perfect seriousness, all delivered in a gentle rather than biting satire. Readers can glimpse the prototype of the "gentleman who fixes everything" that would mature in his later work, making this of particular value to those tracing the evolution of his style. As a public-domain eBook, it is easy to obtain and search, and is especially suited to readers who want to experience the comic rhythm in the original English without being weighed down by complex plotting. Ideal for commutes, bedtime, or odd moments in the afternoon: a light read, and a good first taste of English comic literature.

Who it's for

A good fit for

New readers who want to experience English humor in the original
Fans of fiction with brisk dialogue and a satirical touch
Readers eager to trace the evolution of Wodehouse's style
Those who want public-domain eBooks for odd moments of reading

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer tense plots or strong suspense
Readers unaccustomed to English irony and understated jokes
Those expecting deep social critique or serious themes

Reading tips

Read two or three chapters first to get the rhythm of the dialogue, then decide whether to continue straight through
When you meet unfamiliar slang or period terms, skip them and rely on context
Jot down the witticisms to appreciate the layers of English irony
If your time is fragmented, read chapter by chapter rather than forcing a single sitting

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

I haven't read any other Wodehouse. Can I start with this one?

Yes. The story stands largely on its own and requires no prior knowledge. Once you adjust to its brisk dialogue and understated irony, you will read smoothly. If you want to know the author's style better, you can later read his more mature works for comparison.

How difficult is the English?

Overall it is moderately easy literary English: sentences are not long and dialogue makes up a large share, though there is some period slang and English idiom. A university-level reading ability is enough to try it; when you meet unfamiliar words, skip them first and follow the plot and tone.

As a public-domain eBook, is there anything to watch out for?

Public-domain eBooks are often early scans or transcriptions and may contain small differences in layout or punctuation. Choose a clearly typeset edition, judge obvious typos from context, and don't stop over details; focus on overall understanding.

Is this book suitable for a class or a book club?

It works as light material for English comic literature. Its dense dialogue and gentle satire lend themselves to reading aloud by parts and discussing characters' words and deeds. But because the themes are light, it suits interest-based book clubs better than courses that require deep discussion of serious issues.

Comments

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About the author

Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville), 1881-1975 Author

P. G. Wodehouse (Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, 1881–1975) was a British humorist and novelist known for his light, witty comic style. The library holds 41 of his works, including the Jeeves books Right Ho, Jeeves, My Man Jeeves, and The Inimitable Jeeves, as well as The Clicking of Cuthbert, The Girl on the Boat, A Damsel in Distress, The Man Upstairs and Other Stories, and Psmith, Journalist. These works often turn on the mismatched relations between idle aristocrats, clumsy young men, and shrewd servants, with plots driven by misunderstanding, coincidence, and role reversal, and prose marked by irony and exaggeration. Wodehouse's easy elegance, brisk dialogue, and comic invention had a lasting influence on twentieth-century English humorous writing. Public information is limited, so no biographical details are conjectured here.