Letters Of Character

What ho! Long lost letter may shed light on author behind Jeeves and Wooster

The letter to what was then one of America’s leading newspapers is signed “Bertie Wooster (per pro P.G Wodehouse, Secy)” — deploying the sort of abbreviation loved by the aristocratic first-person narrator of 11 novels and 35 short stories.

The writer expresses his dismay, in typically blithering Bertie locutions, at reading over breakfast a stirring but gory report of a boxing match that had appeared in the newspaper.

“My Dear Old Soul,” he begins. “I hate to bother you and all that sort of thing, but if you’ve a spare moment I wish you’d toddle down the passage and speak to Grantland Rice [a leading sports journalist].

“I mean to say, all that stuff he wrote in yesterday’s jolly old issue about chappies being 'chopped into pink ribbons’ and the blighter with the 'red grin that bubbled gore’.

"What I mean is that it does not seem to realize that we are the guys in the Tribune read at breakfast, and believe me, dear son old days, when Jeeves, my man, slipped a couple of fried eggs in front of me just what one might call the psychological moment, it was a near thing, man, something very close. "

The letter appeared in the column on the conning tower celebrated written by Franklin Adams, a friend of several members of the coterie Algonquin Round Table. The section regularly featured the contribution of famous names such as Noel Coward, Dorothy Parker and Groucho and Harpo Marx.

The newspaper added a title — “Grantland, Priceless Old Bean, Is Off in Florida, But He Shall Ever So Well Be Spoken To, We Mean To Say” - that could also have come straight from the pen of Wodehouse.

The author was living in America at the time the letter appeared in Jan 1920, by when had published just five short stories in the Jeeves cannon. Although all the protagonists are long dead, meaning a definitive verdict on the letter’s provenance is probably impossible, there are compelling indications that it was written by Wodehouse.

Indeed, the author praised writing letters to newspapers in an essay in 1932. "Every author really wants to have letters printed in the papers," he wrote. "Unable to make the grade, he drops down a rung of the ladder and writes novels."

Philip Hensher, the novelist, critic and Wodehouse enthusiast, believes the letter is “quite likely” to have been written by the author.

Literacy Spot #28: Letter from a Character

The reason I love the Letter From a Character literacy idea is that it truly engages young children with purposeful reading and writing in a fun way. Choose the right character for your child or group of children and they will be excited, actively engaged and motivated to ‘read’ and ‘write.’

So what is this Letter From a Character I speak of?

To begin choose a character popular with your child, whether it be a commercial character or a more generic character such as a fairy or a dragon.  Then it is as simple as creating a letter from the character to send to your child or group of children. Make your correspondence inviting and your child is sure to want to write back.

If you like, you can find an image to use as a letterhead. Or think creatively and try something like this mini letter from a fairy , singe the edge of the paper from a dragon, write on a large leaf from a herbivorous dinosaur or jungle animal, or deliver the letter via a message in a bottle from a pirate.

When I worked in child care for 2-5 year olds I worked with the staff to create a friendly dragon character who wrote letters to each class of children. Each letter was modified to the age and interests of the children in the class and letters went back and forth to and from the children and the dragon for some months. Some of the highlights I remember are;

As I said, this went on for some time. As a staff we finally agreed that it was time for a real visit from the dragon and we were delighted when one of the educators managed to organise for a large corporate mascot dragon make a surprise visit the Centre. It was lots and lots of fun.

Letters on female character addressed to a young lady on the death of her mother

Letters on female character, addressed to a young lady, on the death of her mother

British letters illustrative of character and social life

Letters on the character and poetical genius of Lord Byron

Letters, describing Romanism in its origin, character and end, addressed to Rev. E.C. Fabre, Roman Catholic archbishop of Montreal