As I’ve said before, one of the great pleasures of reading P.G. Wodehouse: A Life in Letters edited by Sophie Ratcliffe has been learning Plum’s thoughts on books and other authors. I’ve shared how he loved Denis Mackail’s Greenery Street and came to a belated but deep enjoyment of the works of Anthony Trollope.
But now we reach the critical stuff: his opinion of my adored Angela Thirkell. In November 1945, after staying away from her works for years out of a sense of loyalty to his friend Denis Mackail (Thirkell’s younger brother), Wodehouse finally discovered her charms – and even dared to write to Denis in praise of them:
Talking of books, as we so often do when we get together, ought I to be ashamed to confessing to you a furtive fondness for Angela Thirkell? You told me once that she bullied you when you were a child, and for years I refused austerely to read her. But recently Wild Strawberries and Pomfret Towers have weakened me. I do think she’s good, though if we are roasting her I will add that August Folly was rotten and I couldn’t get through it.
He’s clearly wrong about August Folly (who doesn’t love the the awfulness of Richard Tebben? And the excessive number of Jane Austen allusions? And a village that puts on Hippolytus as casual recreation?) but I can forgive him that for otherwise seeing the light.
The Captive Reader 
Someone said that Thirkell’s sparkling wit was the same genre as PGW and (mutatis mutandis) I think I agree. So glad that he himself was an admirer. Denis Mackail I can take or leave, to be honest. I know that Greenery Street has been republished and it is quite sweet but comparatively tame with really only one main idea – and certainly nothing to build on. Thank you for this! The PG Wodehouse Society may well be hearing from the Angela Thirkell Society…
Glad you enjoyed it!
Oh, I’m so pleased to read that Wodehouse enjoyed Thirkell. (Pomfret Towers ranks among my favorites.) This encourages me to return to the Blandings books.
Always good to have a reason to return to Blandings! (Though the Psmith books are my personal favourites.)
I like Psmith, too, especially his proto-Peter Wimsey qualities.
You know how I feel about Thirkell but I would agree with PGW about August Folly, and I think Before Lunch is not great either. Maybe it’s because I started reading the series with the later books, but the pre-war ones sometimes seen a bit silly.
I agree about Before Lunch 100% – it is easily my least favourite Thirkell. However, I think that in general the pre-war books (and some of the wartime books) are deftly plotted and well written.
How interesting, because I love the way Jack Middleton is portrayed and feel so much for his wife and Cameron. In particular I’m sure that his relationship with Flora was based on observation! I like the way Denis Stonor responds to Mrs Middleton and she to him though I find it odd that Thirkell uses her brother’s name for the character. And quite without being boring she traces the memory of that time in future books.
Twenty-plus years ago, when I first started reading Thirkell, I would have agreed with PGW about August Folly. But a couple of years ago, I decided to re-read all the Barchester novels, in order, and was pleasantly surprised to find myself liking it. The flip side: I’d initially loved Marling Hall;, but this time I was disappointed.
Of course, this probably stems from age — mine. I was in my 40s then and am now (horrors!) in my mid-60s. Time can alter impressions.
I’m sure this thing about revisiting a book is true; although it should apply to all or at least many of them and I’m not sure it does. I only notice it with Thirkell! Probably the first time we read a novel we are concentrating on the plot and how the characters interact and do or don’t develop. On subsequent reading of Thirkell one notices so much more the literary allusions and the sly wit. And in the later ones the repetition of previous material, for instance in Love At All Ages which I am currently reading and which is perceptibly getting as weary as its author.
I think that’s part of the joy of rereading, discovering how you’ve changed through how you react to a familiar book (for better or worse). I’ve only been reading Thirkell for a few years so my attitudes haven’t altered significantly yet but perhaps the day will come when I learn to like Before Lunch and her sloppy late works (seems unlikely at this point but who knows).
I need to find her books. Any faves?
I love Pomfret Towers, Marling Hall, Northbridge Rectory and Cheerfulness Breaks In as good starters. There is a small secondhand market for her books but Virago have started to reprint them. Check the original date of publication and go for the late 1930s to early 1940s so that if you like them you can follow the characters’ development in subsequent novels.
Thanks! I’m a confirmed DE Stevenson fan and just about exhausted all her titles. I like Goudge mostly and have read the Miss Read series. Old novel reading is still enjoyable to me.
Lots of our members are devotees of D. E. Stevenson, Miss Read, Elizabeths Goudge and von Arnim and Georgette Heyer. It’s not that we avoid male writers, just that we have a sense of relationship with these authors – who can by no means be described as Undervalued! We’ve recently discovered Winifred Peck who is worth a look, rather in the E.M. Delafield mould.
So much to read, so little time!
Ooh—new to me reads! Thanks
Absolutely!
I’d recommend any of the pre-war books as a good place to start, particularly Wild Strawberries, Summer Half, or August Folly.
None at my library. Time to inter-library loan.
Well, this just makes me like Wodehouse even more. I am slowly collecting all the Thirkell novels I can find so I can have the pleasure of rereading them in order.
A couple of our regional groups have done just this, even though they know the novels well, and have got a lot out of it.
However, if you happen across Trooper to the Southern Cross, do try that as well – Thirkell writing about her voyage to Australia with her new husband after WWII. Using the voice of a male narrator!
Good luck with your hunt!
I love so many of her books though I haven’t tried August Folly. This makes me want to read Woodhouse’s letters. They sound delightful!
There are definitely some gems in this collection. Very much worth reading if you love Wodehouse!
Always read Thirkell in order and you will be repaid many times over. Take your time and savor them. I sometimes read ahead so I know what happens and then take my time enjoying all the details, a few pages and laughs just before lights out.