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Document Type
Thesis - University Access Only
Award Date
2014
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department / School
English
First Advisor
Nicole Flynn
Abstract
This work will examine P. G. Wodehouse’s representations of relationships and power structure in My Man Jeeves, A Damsel in Distress, and Piccadilly Jim, which Wodehouse wrote during WWI. In each work, Wodehouse presents complicated relationships and causes readers to question the existing power structures. I will focus on the complex relationship between employers and employees as well as his representation of male and female guardians and their relationship to each other and their dependents. I will examine how Wodehouse uses the figure of the incompetent aristocrat and the clever valet or butler in order to question the assumption that the aristocracy should have more power than the serving class. I will then examine how he presents the older generation of women as inflexible and conforming to tradition, while he presents the men as submissive and less likely to act. Through his representations of characters, Wodehouse shows hints at anxieties his readers would have had and hints at the flaws in the power structures of British society.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville), 1881-1975.
My man Jeeves Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville), 1881-1975.
Damsel in distress Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville), 1881-1975.
Power (Social sciences) in literature Interpersonal relations in literature English literature -- 20th century -- History and criticism
Description
Includes bibliographical references (pages 106-109)
Format
application/pdf
Number of Pages
114
Publisher
South Dakota State University
Rights
In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-NC/1.0/
Recommended Citation
Alsaker, Casey, "Relationships, Representation, and the Balance of Power in P.G. Wodehouse's My Man Jeeves, A Damsel in Distress, and Piccadilly Jim" (2014). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1984.
https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/1984