Engagement and Marriage

One of the sub-plots of "Jeeves Takes Charge" is Bertie's engagement to Florence Craye. Readers, like Jeeves, immediately recognize that Florence would make Bertie miserable if they were to marry. Bertie, even though he somewhat dimly realizes that she is a shrew, is too charmed by her "wonderful profile" to fight her attempts to "improve" him by forcing him to read dull works of philosophy. She bullies him into stealing his uncle's manuscript by threatening to break their engagement. Perhaps her greatest offense is that she is in league with his horrid Aunt Agatha. In many of the "Jeeves and Wooster" stories, Bertie finds himself engaged to the wrong girl; some are sickeningly sentimental ninnies, others snare him in wild schemes. Jeeves, of course, always saves Bertie from the clutches of the wrong girl.

Role Reversal

An important and amusing theme running through all of the...