Coming back to George Orwell after finishing 1984, I skimmed through his essay on ‘In defence of PG Wodehouse‘ because I am an ardent fan of Wodehouse’s writing. Again, a terrific and insightful read. I didn’t know the details of whole Nazi’s chapter and infamous German broadcasts given by Wodehouse during his internment camp. The episode (Wikipedia link here) is distastefully amusing. At the time when he was trying to be funny through these broadcasts, wartime England was in no mood for light-hearted banter, however, and the broadcasts led to many accusations of collaboration with the Germans and even treason. Some libraries banned his books. I am surprised at his political naivete and no sense of foreseeability. As Orwell put it, “Wodehouse was his own Bertie Wooster”. Orwell’s analytical essay is another deft piece of writing and his political acumen was spot on since MI5 later concurred with his observations as discovered through it’s investigations on Wodehouse being a traitor.

Essays are always a good way to get a peek at the innate thought process of an author outside the world of fiction. And of course, as proven in this case, writings can be deceptive. Foolishness wouldn’t have been a trait I’d attribute to PGW. Behind those inane Wooster’s lines, I would see an intellectual writer (which, well, PGW was but ignorant on many important issues). It also re-emphasizes the fact that one should do groundwork before venturing on to say something esp when what you say is heard by millions. Being politically correct can never be overrated