Jeeves (born Reginald Jeeves, nicknamed ReggieMuch Obliged Jeeves, Chapter 4.) is a fictional character in a series of comedic short stories and novels by the English author P. G. Wodehouse. Jeeves is the highly competent valet of a wealthy and idle young Londoner named Bertie Wooster. First appearing in print in 1915, Jeeves continued to feature in Wodehouse's work until his last completed novel, Aunts Aren't Gentlemen, in 1974.
Both the name "Jeeves" and the character of Jeeves have come to be thought of as the quintessential name and nature of a manservant, inspiring many similar characters as well as the name of an Internet search engine, Ask Jeeves, and a financial-technology company.TechCrunch: Jeeves raises $57m" 2 September 2021 A "Jeeves" is now a generic term, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.
Jeeves is a valet, not a butler; that is, he is responsible for serving an individual, whereas a butler is responsible for a household and manages other servants. On rare occasions he does fill in for someone else's butler. According to Bertie Wooster, he "can buttle with the best of them".
Inspiration A valet called Jevons appears in Wodehouse's 1914 short story "Creatures of Impulse", and may have been a prototype for Jeeves.Cawthorne (2013), p. 169. Like Jeeves, Jevons is described as the perfect valet. "Creatures of Impulse" appeared in The Strand Magazine, and was not republished in any collection, though some parts went into the making of "The Crime Wave at Blandings".Usborne (2003), p. 82.
In his 1953 semi-autobiographical book written with Guy Bolton, Bring on the Girls!, Wodehouse suggested that the Jeeves character was inspired by an actual butler named Eugene Robinson whom Wodehouse employed for research purposes. Wodehouse described Robinson as a "walking Encyclopaedia Britannica". However, Robinson worked at Wodehouse's house in Norfolk Street where Wodehouse did not live until 1927, long after Jeeves had been created.
Wodehouse named his Jeeves after Percy Jeeves (1888–1916), a popular English cricketer for Warwickshire. Wodehouse witnessed Percy Jeeves bowling at Cheltenham Cricket Festival in 1913. Percy Jeeves was killed at the Battle of the Somme in July 1916, less than a year after the first appearance of the Wodehouse character who would make his name a household word."The most invaluable nugget contained in the book [Wodehouse at the Wicket by P. G. Wodehouse and Murray Hedgcock] traces the origin of the name Jeeves to Percy Jeeves, a Warwickshire professional cricketer known for his impeccable grooming, smart shirts and spotlessly clean flannels. Wodehouse probably saw him take a couple of smooth, effortless catches in a match between Gloucestershire and Warwickshire. The name, the immaculate appearance and silent efficiency stuck and the inimitable manservant appeared first in 1916, just weeks after the original Percy Jeeves died in the war in France."
In a letter written in 1965, Wodehouse wrote that he had read Harry Leon Wilson's Ruggles of Red Gap when it was first published as a magazine serial in 1914 and it influenced the creation of Jeeves.Thompson (1992), p. 121. Ruggles of Red Gap is a comedic novel about an English valet who is won by an American from an English earl in a poker game. In the letter, Wodehouse wrote, "I felt that an English valet would never have been so docile about being handed over to an American in payment of a poker debt. I thought he had missed the chap's dignity. I think it was then that the idea of Jeeves came into my mind."
The development of Jeeves and Bertie was influenced by Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, according to Richard Usborne; Sherlock Holmes and Jeeves are "the great brains" while Dr. Watson and Bertie are "the awed companion-narrators, bungling things if they try to solve the problems themselves".Usborne (2003), Plum Sauce: A P G Wodehouse Companion, pp. 58–59. Jeeves and Bertie have been described as comic versions of Holmes and Watson. Wodehouse directly compares Jeeves and Bertie to Holmes and Watson in some of the Jeeves stories, such as in Aunts Aren't Gentlemen.Thompson (1992), pp. 112–114.
Fictional biography
Early life and family Wodehouse disclosed little about Jeeves's early life. According to the character, he was privately educated,Wodehouse (2008) , Jeeves in the Offing, chapter 2, p. 19. and his mother thought him intelligent.Wodehouse (2008) , Very Good, Jeeves, chapter 5, p. 128.
Jeeves has an uncle, Charlie Silversmith, who is butler at Deverill Hall. Silversmith dandled Jeeves on his knee frequently when Jeeves was very young and, when Jeeves is an adult, they write regularly to each other.Wodehouse (2008) , The Mating Season, chapter 8, p. 86.Wodehouse (2008) (1971), Much Obliged, Jeeves, chapter 1, p. 10 and chapter 15, p. 161. Charlie Silversmith's daughter Queenie Silversmith is Jeeves's cousin. Jeeves also mentions his late uncle Cyril in Right Ho, Jeeves. His niece Mabel is engaged to Bertie Wooster's friend Charles "Biffy" Biffen. His cousin Egbert is a constable and plays a role in the short story "Without the Option".Garrison (1991), pp. 96–98.
Jeeves has three placid aunts, in contrast to Bertie Wooster's aunts.Wodehouse (2008) (1971), Much Obliged, Jeeves, chapter 12, p. 126. Aunt Emily is interested in psychical research, and another aunt, Mrs. Pigott, owns a cat in Maiden Eggesford; this cat plays a major role in Aunts Aren't Gentlemen. Jeeves occasionally refers to an aunt without naming her, including one who read Oliver Wendell Holmes to him when he was young.Ring & Jaggard (1999), p. 131. In Right Ho, Jeeves, he mentions his Aunt Annie, though she was widely disliked.Wodehouse (2008) , Right Ho, Jeeves, chapter 23, p. 288.
Employment history
In his youth, Jeeves worked as a page boy at a girls' school. He apparently served in the military to some extent in World War I.Cawthorne (2013), pp. 170–173. When asked by Lord Rowcester if he was in the First World War, Jeeves claims he "dabbled in it to a certain extent". In the play Come On, Jeeves, Jeeves states that he was a batman.
Shortly before entering Bertie's service, Jeeves was employed by Lord Frederick Ranelagh, who was swindled in Monte Carlo.Wodehouse (2008) , The Inimitable Jeeves, chapter 4, p. 46. Jeeves previously worked for Lord Worplesdon, resigning after nearly a year because of Worplesdon's eccentric choice of evening dress.Wodehouse (2008) , Carry On, Jeeves, chapter 1, p. 13. Jeeves later helps Lord Worplesdon in Joy in the Morning. Other former employers include Mr. Digby Thistleton (later Lord Bridgnorth), who sold hair tonic;Wodehouse (2008) , Carry On, Jeeves, chapter 2, pp. 56–57 and chapter 4, p. 93. Mr. Montague-Todd, a financier who is in the second year of a prison term when Jeeves mentions him;Wodehouse (2008) , Carry On, Jeeves, chapter 10, p. 268. and Lord Brancaster, who gave port-soaked seedcake to his pet parrot.Wodehouse (2008) , Right Ho, Jeeves, chapter 14, pp. 153–154.
Jeeves becomes Bertie Wooster's valet. However, his tenure with Bertie Wooster has occasional lapses during the stories; at these times, Jeeves finds work elsewhere. Jeeves works for Lord Chuffnell for a week in Thank You, Jeeves, after giving notice because of Bertie Wooster's unwillingness to give up the banjolele, and is briefly employed by J. Washburn Stoker in the same novel. In Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves, he serves as substitute butler for Bertie's Aunt Dahlia, and later enters Sir Watkyn Bassett's employment for a short time as part of a scheme to help Bertie. Jeeves is Lord Rowcester's butler for the length of Ring for Jeeves.Cawthorne (2013), pp. 173–174.
While working for Bertie Wooster, he occasionally pretends to be the valet of one of Bertie's friends as part of some scheme, though he is still actually Bertie's valet. He pretends to be the valet of Bicky Bickersteth in "Jeeves and the Hard-boiled Egg", Rocky Todd in "The Aunt and the Sluggard", and Gussie Fink-Nottle when Gussie masquerades as Bertie Wooster in The Mating Season.Cawthorne (2013), p. 174. Jeeves acts as a bookmaker's clerk in Ring for Jeeves, disguising himself for the role with a check suit and walrus moustache.Ring & Jaggard (1999), p. 137. In the play Come On, Jeeves, which has mostly the same plot as Ring for Jeeves, it is mentioned that Jeeves changed his appearance as a bookmaker's clerk, though in the play, Jeeves also impersonates a medieval ghost named Lady Agatha, wearing makeup and women's medieval clothing to complete the disguise. He pretends to be a broker's man in "Jeeves and the Greasy Bird" and Bertie's solicitor in Aunts Aren't Gentlemen. In one instance, he pretends to be Bertie Wooster in a telephone conversation with playwright Percy Gorringe.Wodehouse (2008) , Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit, chapter 3, pp. 36–37. In Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves, he assumes an alias, calling himself Chief Inspector Witherspoon of Scotland Yard. This alias is also mentioned in Aunts Aren't Gentlemen.
Jeeves is a member of the Junior Ganymede Club, a London club for butlers and valets.
The stories
Jeeves is first hired by Bertie in "Jeeves Takes Charge" to replace a valet whom Bertie had fired for stealing from him. In this short story, Bertie briefly fires Jeeves after Jeeves, who believes that Bertie would not be happy with his fiancée Florence Craye, takes steps to end Bertie's engagement to her. Bertie quickly rehires Jeeves after realizing that Jeeves was right. Thereafter, Jeeves lives with Bertie, usually in their London residence at Berkeley Mansions. Over the course of the short stories and novels, Jeeves helps Bertie, frequently extricating him from unwanted engagements, and also assists Bertie's friends and relatives with various dilemmas. Jeeves often has another motive, such as disposing of an item recently acquired by Bertie that Jeeves does not like, for example a bright scarlet cummerbund. He sometimes receives a monetary reward from Bertie and other people he helps in early stories, though this does not occur in later stories.
Bertie and Jeeves experience a variety of adventures in numerous short stories and novels. Aside from changes in his employment status, some events occur that are particularly noteworthy for Jeeves. Jeeves gets engaged twice in "Jeeves in the Springtime", though he never talks about these fiancées afterwards, and it appears that he does not become engaged again.Usborne (2003), p. 91. In the only story Jeeves narrates, "Bertie Changes His Mind", he opposes Bertie's decision to live with his nieces. Jeeves and Bertie visit Deverill Hall, where Jeeves's Uncle Charlie is employed as butler, in The Mating Season.
In the novel Ring for Jeeves, which is set after World War II, Jeeves temporarily works as Lord Rowcester's butler while Bertie is sent to a school where the idle rich learn to fend for themselves. This is the only story in which Jeeves appears without Bertie Wooster. The novel was adapted from the play Come On, Jeeves.