Mike and Psmith<\/i> by P.G. Wodehouse<\/p>\n
I believe the first Psmith novel, where Mike and Psmith meet at a small private high school that they’ve both been “sentenced” to for separate reasons. <\/p>\n
From the introduction by Wodehouse:<\/p>\n
This was the first appearance of Psmith. He came into two other books,Psmith in the City<\/i> and Psmith, Journalist<\/i>, before becoming happily married in Leave It to Psmith<\/i>, but I have always thought that he was most at home in this story of English school life. To give full play to his bland clashings with Authority he needs to have authority to clash with, and there is none more absolute than that of the masters at an English school.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I think you had to have gone to an English school, because I liked the Psmith, Journalist<\/i> and Psmith in the City<\/i> better. Not to disparage this one, as it was a fine read as well. The main reason I clipped that is to remind myself that Leave It to Psmith<\/i> exists out there somewhere, though not on Project Gutenberg.<\/p>\n
Psmith, on being introduced to Mike:<\/p>\n
“Do I look as if I belonged here? I’m the latest import. Sit down on yonder settee, and I will tell you the painful story of my life. By the way, before I start, there’s just one thing. If you ever have occasion to write to me, would you mind sticking a P at the beginning of my name? P-s-m-i-t-h. See? There are too many Smiths, and I don’t care for Smythe. My father’s content to worry along in the old-fashioned way, but I’ve decided to strike out a fresh line. I shall found a new dynasty. The resolve came to me unexpectedly this morning. I jotted it down on the back of an envelope. In conversation you may address me as Rupert (though I hope you won’t), or simply Smith, the P<\/i> not being sounded. Compare the name Zbysco, in which the Z is given a similar miss-in-balk. See?”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mike and Psmith by P.G. Wodehouse I believe the first Psmith novel, where Mike and Psmith meet at a small private high school that they’ve both been “sentenced” to for separate reasons. From the introduction by Wodehouse: This was the … Continue reading