In the P. G. Wodehouse novel Love Among The Chickens, writer Jeremy Garnet could invest himself in Stanley Ukridge's latest get-rich-quick scheme if he foresaw a reasonable chance of success. But it's clear that while Ukridge has no idea what he's doing, the man is also determined to reinvent the entire process of running a chicken farm.
So, Jeremy reverts to what he knows: writing novels. Also, Jeremy's thoughts dwell on Phyllis, a local he met on the train to Lyme Regis. After he met her and formed good relations with her family, Ukridge drove them apart by insulting her father. If only he could win his way back into the father's good graces, so he could court Phyllis!
In addition to walking along the hilltop, Jeremy also likes to swim. He ventures down to Lyme Regis, and changes into his bathing costume in little one-person tents the town has provided. Then he dives into the harbor and takes his exercise.
As a writer, Jeremy naturally thinks of Jane Austen's novel Persuasion, and the scenes set in Lyme Regis. Eventually, Jeremy hatches a plan to win over Phyllis' father. He talks the owner of the fishing boat Phyllis' father has hired into spilling the man into the water at a prearranged time.
Unlike Louisa, who injured herself when leaping from the upper section of the Cobb to the lower part, Jeremy suffers no injury when diving into the harbor and swimming out to rescue his prospective father-in-law.
It's a plan reminiscent of "Jeeves' Arrival," the first episode in the 1990s Jeeves And Wooster TV series, which was adapted from several P.G. Wodehouse stories. As with Bertie Wooster, Jeremy's plan has unforeseen consequences. But I'll let you discover the way Jeremy's splash into the harbor creates ripples that swell into waves--and engulf his prospects for courting Phyllis--when you read Love Among The Chickens.
Dragon Dave
No comments:
Post a Comment