P.G. Wodehouse (Pelham Grenville Wodehouse) is one of the leading humourists of the twentieth century. His novels and stories are best known for their comical depictions of upper-class British life in the Edwardian and inter-war periods. Wodehouse’s work accordingly portrays a benign and privileged world full of butlers, stately homes, overbearing aunts and wealthy clubmen. His long and prolific career produced iconic characters such as Bertie Wooster, Jeeves, Lord Emsworth, Ukridge and Psmith.

Wodehouse (known to his friends as Plum) was born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, Surrey. Although he was to live until 1975, his work overwhelmingly reflects the Edwardian period of his youth. His upper-class parents, Ernest and Eleanor Wodehouse, spent most of Wodehouse’s childhood in Hong

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Citation: Haig, Francesca. "P. G. Wodehouse". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 December 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4778, accessed 19 March 2024.]

4778 P. G. Wodehouse 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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