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Sebastian Beach
Sebastian Beach is a fictional character in the Blandings stories by P. G. Wodehouse. He is the butler at Blandings Castle, seat of Lord Emsworth and his family, where he serves for over eighteen years. Inspiration Beach's name was inspired by Beach Road, a road in the town of Emsworth, England, that leads to the seashore. The road is located near a cottage called Threepwood, which Wodehouse rented in the early 1900s. Background and character Like all butlers in properly run Edwardian homes, Beach is always known by his surname. He is a heavy-set man, whose favourite pastime is drinking port in the pantry, though he occasionally switches to brandy during crises. He has a pleasant singing voice, a mellow baritone reminiscent of a cask of very old, dry sherry. He is somewhat more emotional than Wodehouse's other famous domestic servant, Jeeves, although, when in the company of his masters, Beach generally limits himself to a slightly raised eyebrow, even when strongly moved. Accor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fictional Character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, in which case the distinction of a "fictional" versus "real" character may be made. Derived from the Ancient Greek word , the English word dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in '' Tom Jones'' by Henry Fielding in 1749. From this, the sense of "a part played by an actor" developed.Harrison (1998, 51-2) quotation: (Before this development, the term ''dramatis personae'', naturalized in English from Latin and meaning "masks of the drama," encapsulated the notion of characters from the literal aspect of masks.) Character, particularly when enacted by an actor in the theatre or cinema, involves "the illusion of being a human person". In literature, characters guide readers through their stories, hel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rumble Seat
A rumble seat (American English), dicky (dickie/dickey) seat (British English), also called a mother-in-law seat, is an upholstered exterior seat which folded into the rear of a coach, carriage, or early motorcar. Depending on its configuration, it provided exposed seating for one or two passengers. History Additional occasional seating appeared in the latter centuries of evolution of the coach and carriage. The 1865 edition of Webster's ''An American Dictionary of the English Language'' defines a dickie seat or rumble as "A bootBoot, ''n.'' ...3. A box or receptacle covered with leather at either end of a coach. The term "boot" is still used in British English, but elsewhere, including North America, this is called the " trunk". with a seat above it for servants, behind a carriage." Similar to the dickie seat on European phaetons was the ''spider'', a small single seat or bench on spindly supports for seating a groom or footman. Before World War I, dickie or rumble seats ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heavy Weather (Wodehouse Novel)
''Heavy Weather'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on 28 July 1933 by Little, Brown and Company, Boston, and in the United Kingdom on 10 August 1933 by Herbert Jenkins, London.McIlvaine (1990), pp. 64–65, A50. It had been serialised in ''The Saturday Evening Post'' from 27 May to 15 July 1933. It is part of the Blandings Castle series of tales, the fourth full-length novel to be set there, and forms a direct sequel to ''Summer Lightning'' (1929), with many of the same characters remaining at the castle from the previous story. It also features the re-appearance by Lord Tilbury, who had previously appeared in ''Bill the Conqueror'' (1924) and ''Sam the Sudden'' (1925). Plot introduction With the Hon. Galahad's reminiscences removed from the market, publisher Lord Tilbury is anxious to get hold of the manuscript, while Lady Constance Keeble and Sir Gregory Parsloe-Parsloe want to lay hands on it for quite other reasons. Lord Emsworth fears ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Summer Lightning
''Summer Lightning'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on 1 July 1929 by Doubleday (publisher), Doubleday, Doran, New York, under the title ''Fish Preferred'', and in the United Kingdom on 19 July 1929 by Herbert Jenkins Ltd, Herbert Jenkins, London.McIlvaine (1990), pp. 56–57, A41. It was serialised in ''The Pall Mall Magazine'' (UK) between March and August 1929 and in Collier's Weekly, Collier's (US) from 6 April to 22 June 1929. It forms part of the Blandings Castle saga, being the third full-length novel to be set there, after ''Something Fresh'' (1915) and ''Leave It to Psmith'' (1923). ''Heavy Weather (Wodehouse novel), Heavy Weather'' (1933) forms a semi-sequel to the story, with many of the same characters involved. Plot introduction Galahad Threepwood, Gally is down at Blandings and writing his memoirs, to the horror of all who knew him in their wild youths, particularly Lord Emsworth's neighbour and pig-fancying rival Sir Gregor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey
"Pig-Hoo-o-o-o-ey" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United States in the 9 July 1927 issue of ''Liberty'', and in the United Kingdom in the August 1927 ''Strand''. Part of the Blandings Castle canon, it features the absent-minded peer Lord Emsworth, and was included in the collection ''Blandings Castle and Elsewhere'' (1935), although the story takes place sometime between the events of ''Leave It to Psmith'' (1923) and ''Summer Lightning'' (1929). Plot summary Lord Emsworth, keen that his fat pig, the Empress of Blandings, should win the 87th annual Shropshire Agricultural Show, is distraught when his pigman, Wellbeloved, is sent to prison for fourteen days for being drunk and disorderly in a Market Blandings inn. The pig immediately goes off her feed, and with the vet baffled, Emsworth is in no state to listen to his sister Connie's bleatings about his niece Angela breaking off her engagement from Lord Heacham in favour of the quite unsuita ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lord Emsworth Acts For The Best
"Lord Emsworth Acts for the Best" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United Kingdom in the June 1926 Strand Magazine, and in the United States in the 5 June 1926 issue of ''Liberty''. Part of the Blandings Castle canon, it features the absent-minded peer Lord Emsworth, and was included in the collection ''Blandings Castle and Elsewhere'' (1935), although the story takes place sometime between the events of ''Leave it to Psmith'' (1923) and ''Summer Lightning'' (1929). Plot Beach, long-serving butler at Blandings, is considering handing in his notice after 18 years, unable to bear the shame of his master Lord Emsworth's rather disreputable new beard. His Lordship himself, unaware of these ructions below stairs, is worried by a telegram from his younger son Freddie, who is back in London from America. Visiting Freddie, Emsworth learns that the boy has fallen out with his wife Aggie; having written a scenario for Hollywood to impress her, he tried to p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leave It To Psmith
''Leave It to Psmith'' is a comic novel by English author P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 30 November 1923 by Herbert Jenkins Ltd, Herbert Jenkins, London, England, and in the United States on 14 March 1924 by George H. Doran, New York City, New York.McIlvaine, E., Sherby, L.S. and Heineman, J.H. (1990) ''P.G. Wodehouse: A comprehensive bibliography and checklist''. New York: James H. Heineman, pp. 44–45. It had previously been serialised, in the ''The Saturday Evening Post, Saturday Evening Post'' in the US between 3 February and 24 March 1923, and in the ''Grand Magazine'' in the UK between April and December that year; the ending of this magazine version was rewritten for the book form. It was the fourth and final novel featuring Psmith, the others being ''Mike (novel), Mike'' (1909) (later republished in two parts, with Psmith appearing in the second, ''Mike and Psmith'' (1953)), ''Psmith in the City'' (1910), and ''Psmith, Journalist'' (1915) †... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Something Fresh
''Something Fresh'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published as "Something New" in the United States, by D. Appleton & Company on 3 September 1915.McIlvaine, E., Sherby, L.S. and Heineman, J.H. (1990) ''P.G. Wodehouse: A comprehensive bibliography and checklist''. New York: James H. Heineman, pp. 27–28. . It was published in the United Kingdom as "Something Fresh" by Methuen & Co. on 16 September 1915. There are a number of differences between the American and British versions, but essentially, it is the same book. The novel introduces Lord Emsworth of Blandings Castle, whose home and family reappear in many of Wodehouse's later short stories and novels. The story is a comic caricature of English aristocratic life and the American aristocracy of wealth. The servants of the English country house, who follow a very elaborate hierarchy and take meals at many different social levels, mimic their betters, "and in so doing make their betters look absurd". Plot summary Ashe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Freddie Threepwood
The Honourable Frederick Threepwood is a fictional character in the Blandings stories by P. G. Wodehouse. A member of the Drones Club affectionately known as "Freddie", he is the second son of Lord Emsworth, and a somewhat simple-minded youth who brings his father nothing but trouble. Freddie has one brother, George, and a sister, Mildred. Life and character Freddie's youth was a rather wild and reckless time. He was expelled from Eton for "breaking out at night and roaming the streets of Windsor in a false moustache", and was sent down from Oxford, where he had been good friends with "Beefy" Bingham, for "pouring ink from a second-storey window on the junior dean of his college". Despite two years at an expensive London crammer's, he failed to qualify for the army. During this time he gathered a wide circle of shady and dubious friends, mostly involved in the turf, including the unpleasant Mr. R Jones, and an equally broad set of gambling debts. When Lord Emsworth is requir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Galahad At Blandings
''Galahad at Blandings'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on 31 December 1964 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York under the title ''The Brinkmanship of Galahad Threepwood'', and in the United Kingdom on 26 August 1965 by Herbert Jenkins, London.McIlvaine (1990), pp. 98–99, A88. It forms part of the Blandings Castle saga, being the ninth full-length novel to be set there. Plot introduction Lord Emsworth's idyllic demesne, Blandings Castle, is as usual overrun with overbearing sisters, overefficient secretaries, and the lovestruck; even worse, an alleged old flame has appeared, determined to put an end to the Earl's peaceful, pig-loving existence. All Gally's genius is required to sort things out satisfactorily... Plot summary Galahad Threepwood is in residence at Blandings Castle, and finds his brother Lord Emsworth, the ninth Earl, beset by the usual collection of woes. His sister, Lady Hermione Wedge, has not only hired a secretary ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sir Gregory Parsloe-Parsloe
Sir Gregory Parsloe-Parsloe, 7th Baronet (usually called Sir Gregory Parsloe) is a fictional character from the Blandings Castle short stories and novels of British author P. G. Wodehouse. In the stories, Parsloe resides at Matchingham Hall, near Blandings Castle, and is the rival and enemy of Lord Emsworth. Appearances Parsloe first appears in the short story " The Custody of the Pumpkin" (included in the 1935 collection ''Blandings Castle and Elsewhere'', but written over ten years earlier). He later shows up in several other Blandings tales, including ''Summer Lightning'' (1929), '' Heavy Weather'' (1933) and ''Pigs Have Wings'' (1953). Wild youth While Emsworth's brother Gally is preparing his reminiscences in ''Summer Lightning'', he reveals quite a lot about the Baronet's black past. Although the first twenty years or so of his life were relatively blameless, he went off the rails to a considerable degree, and was considered a dangerous type by his contemporaries. When Ga ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Criterion Theatre
The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began development of the site of the White Bear, a seventeenth-century posting inn. The inn was located on sloping ground stretching between Jermyn Street and Piccadilly Circus, known as Regent Circus. A competition was held for the design of a concert hall complex, with Thomas Verity winning out of 15 entries. He was commissioned to design a large restaurant, dining rooms, ballroom, and galleried concert hall in the basement. The frontage, which was the façade of the restaurant, showed a French Renaissance influence using Portland stone. After the building work began, it was decided to change the concert hall into a theatre. The composers' names, which line the tiled staircases, were retained and can still be seen. The redesign placed the large Criterio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
