There can be no doubt that P. G. Wodehouse was one of the greatest short story writers of the 20th Century. His prose style is sharp and funny. And that is the problem: comedy is seldom taken seriously by literary critics. The great philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein wrote that “Honeysuckle Cottage” was the funniest story he’d ever read. The hero of “Honeysuckle Cottage” is James Rodman, a writer of hard-boiled detective stories who inherits the cottage from his aunt, a gushingly prolific romantic novelist called Leila J. Pinckney. Rodman learns that the Cottage has a strange effect on his writing. Suddenly, his hard-boiled style turns to romantic drivel. No matter how hard he tries to write hard-boiled prose, all of Rodman’s writing turns to romantic mush. Of course, there are other complications of the hilarious sort. A mysterious woman plays an important part in the plot. I cannot praise Wodehouse and “Honeysuckle Cottage” enough. And if you find you love Wodehouse as much as I do, Everyman’s Library’s Best of Wodehouse should be by your bedside.
FORGOTTEN SHORT STORIES #1: “Honeysuckle Cottage” By P. G. Wodehouse
8 Replies
In these troubled economic times there is a voice of reason. It’s Benjamin Graham who wrote his classic The Intelligent Investor in 1949. He revised and updated The Intelligent Investor over the years, but the core of his investment approach has remained the same: buy the stocks of good companies. You don’t have to read all 623 pages of Graham’s classic. You can do what Warren Buffett (who wrote the INTRODUCTION) suggests: read Chapter 8 “The Investor and Market Fluctuations” and Chapter 20 “Margin of Safety as the Central Concept of Investment.” That will give you the essence of Graham’s philosophy. Of course the rest of the book holds valuable insights, too. Hundreds of books are published each year touting “hot stocks” and “fool-proof” investment strategies. They are junk. Read The Intelligent Investor for the real gold standard of sensible investing.
I’m a big fan of H. P. Lovecraft so I was interested in this adaptation of “Herbert West–Reanimator.” As the DVD played, my disappointment grew. This was not the suspenseful Lovecraft style I was expecting, it was basically a campy gore-fest. The acting is amateurish and the directing is lame. Avoid this! GRADE: D (FOR DREADFUL!)
Thanks to the kindness of Steve Lewis, I’m able revisit one of Harlan Ellison’s early works, The Deadly Streets. I read this 40 years ago and the raw energy in these pages is still palpable. The Deadly Streets was written during the height of the “juvenile delinquency” hysteria. Some of these stories seem quaint compared to today’s gang wars between the Crips and the Bloods. Ellison was writing for a market that no longer exists and an audience that gave up reading books for YouTube and MySpace. If you can find a copy of The Deadly Streets it’s well worth reading.
The first song is “Ave Maria and the last song is “Time to Say Goodbye.” Very nice. However, the 11 songs in between are a hodgepodge of pop, old standards, and dreck. Sting shows up. So does Josh Groban and Yo-Yo Ma. And Katharine McPhee, Lucia Micarelli, and John Mayer. The title should have been: CHRIS BOTTI AND FRIENDS LIVE IN BOSTON. I would have preferred just Chris Botti and the Boston Pops. GRADE: B-
PBS’s MASTERPIECE THEATER is broadcasting a new production of Dickens’ Little Dorrit, a rags to riches tale. The Little Professor has raised some criticisms of this new adaptation here:
Okay, so Stevie Nicks is 60 years old. She still is an iconic Rock Star with a distinctive voice. This DVD of her concert in Chicago features most of her hits: “Stand Back,” “Crash (Dave Matthews Band cover),” “Sara,” “If Anyone Falls in Love,” and “Landslide (orchestra version).” I thought she put on an entertaining show. And Sam’s Club has the DVD priced at about the cost of the CD. What a bargain! 
I’m a huge fan of Anthony Trollope’s work although he seems to be pretty much forgotten by the Academy and most of the reading public. Trollope explores the politics of love in Can You Forgive Her? Alice Vavasor is a lovely young woman who is torn between two proposals: the “safe” pick would be the plodding, but wealthy John Gray. The “dangerous” pick would be her cousin George Vavasor whose reputation is a bit shady. Alice’s dilemma gives Trollope the microscope to explore a woman’s role in a society where her freedom is constrained. To contrast Alice’s decision, Trollope gives us Lady Glencora Palliser, Alice’s regal cousin who married the rich and powerful Plantagent Palliser. Plantagent Palliser’s only interest is Parliament. Lady Glencora spends her days pining for the man she gave up to marry Palliser, the dashing but unsavory Burgo Fitzgerald. Trollope captures the compromises and sacrifices marriage entails, the disappointments and the joys. Other than Thomas Hardy, I can’t think of another male novelist who so completely creates believable, vibrant women characters as Anthony Trollope does.
This 2 CD and 1 DVD collection has all Annie Lennox’s hits: “Walking on Broken Glass,” “Why,” “No More I Love You’s,” and “A Whiter Shade of Pale.” There are plenty of other songs worth hearing. I like the duet with Alicia Keys, “Everybody Hurts.” The DVD contains the videos to all of Annie Lennox’s hits. If you’re a fan of Annie Lennox, this is the complete package you must own..jpg)