P. G. Wodehouse (pronounced “Wood-house”) wrote several series of stories around characters including Mr. Mulliner, Ukridge, Lord Emsworth, Psmith, and the best known of them all, Bertie Wooster and Jeeves. All are set in the same general milieu of well-off English families with comfortable lives, country houses, and gentlemen’s personal gentlemen. The lead characters often drink enough alcohol to float a boat, yet suffer none of the ravages of alcoholism, other than the occasional hangover. Undisturbed by any woes of poverty, murder, or similar real-world concerns, these characters need concern themselves with nothing other than the situation at hand.

In the Mulliner series, the vast and varied multitude of Mr. Mulliner’s relatives allows Wodehouse to spin completely different tales in different settings, with different characters. At the same time, the narrating gentleman and his Angler’s Roost public house give the reader a comforting constancy. Whether it is nephew Augustine the curate, cousin Montrose the film director, or nephew Archibald, one can feel that the forthcoming story has already proven itself interesting.

“The Reverent Wooing of Archibald” is typical of Wodehouse stories. The author, who continued to produce stories and novels until his death at age ninety-four, spent that entire career honing his stereotypical parodies of the overly rich elite. Two of his most common themes are a gentleman’s escape from matrimony and his pursuit thereof. This story demonstrates the latter.

From the very beginning of the story, Archibald marks his romantic objective with great fervor, and he then devotes all of his efforts to no other goal. He does not have to go far to identify her, and even his introduction to her at Ascot is skimmed over. The unwavering pursuit actually begins with Archibald’s preparation for meeting the aunt. He perceives that the path to Aurelia must lie through her aunt, so he must set out to convince the aunt of his worthiness. To accomplish this, he must demonstrate an ability to converse in her favored topics and must also avoid any of the traits that might offend her. Therefore he denies the use of alcohol and tobacco and especially the unsophisticated ability to imitate a hen. Realizing that he knows nothing at all about Shakespeare or Bacon, he prepares for the conversation by having his manservant fetch appropriate books, which he spends a fortnight studying. With this hurried background, he submits himself to the aunt’s stultifying discourse, all for the purpose of getting her approval for him to court her niece.