#reasons why Jeeves likes Bertie

[huanglaoshu]

"Jeeves," I said. "Sir?" he responded. "Sorry to interrupt you again. Were you reading Spinoza?" "No, sir, I was writing a letter to my Uncle Charlie." "Charlie Silversmith," I explained in an aside to the ancestor. "Butler at Deverill Hall. One of the best." "Thank you, sir." "I know few men whom I esteem more highly than your Uncle Charlie." ... "Then you may leave us, Jeeves. Much obliged for your Daniel come to judgmenting." "A pleasure, sir." "Give Uncle Charlie my love." "I will indeed, sir."

-- Jeeves and the Tie That Binds, chapter 15

[soupnoodle]

j&w swap!au is the funniest thing ever and you are ready for this conversation

[karabin4ik]

AU where Jeeves and Bertie have known each other since childhood. First meeting at a boarding school for boys, where Bertie studies and Reggie works. (They are about the same age)

(I wrote everything through a translator, so forgive me if there is strange text in some places)

While all the students are running away for lunch, Jeeves slips into the empty courtyard with a little book. And so, approaching a spreading tree that is popular with some groups of boys, he notices a curly-haired young man hanging upside down.

The suspended boy clung to the ropes and his bound legs, and his face was red from the blood rushing to his head. He didn’t call for help, he just groaned and cursed in words that were understandable to a boarding school student at that time.

Reggie didn't deliberately try to walk silently, but it just so happened that the curly-haired boy didn't notice him until the very moment Jeeves stood two steps away from the bound one. Only fragments of phrases, for unknown reasons, including “holy ducklings” reached the ears, until the student finally noticed him.

In the seconds during which he focused his gaze behind Jeeves, the boy’s face brightened and became radiantly sunny.

- Hey fellow! - the boy exclaimed cheerfully, not forgetting to wave his hand casually.

Jeeves still watched silently, for the sake of decency he only closed the book. Raising his head, he began to examine the ropes that tied the boy’s legs.

- How are you doing? why aren't you at lunch? - the curly haired boy did not let up. Meanwhile, his face became even more bloodshot, which looked extremely unhealthy. - I haven't seen you among the classes before, you know!

Having walked around him in a circle, during which the student tried to follow Reggie with his gaze, he raised an eyebrow questioningly:

- Do you need help? - He asked.

The boy's face took on the appearance of a disoriented hare for a second, after which he looked up at his bound limbs for a few seconds. After that, he made an overly serene sound like "Hah" with a slight wave of his hand.

- Oh, are you talking about this? Well, it's not that I really need help, I'm just... hanging my jaw, you know. Useful stretching, otherwise I missed my morning exercises. - He smiled, but it was clear that this was becoming more and more difficult for him.

Jeeves looked incredulously from the acquaintance's ankles tied to the branch to his face, which was beginning to merge with his reddish curls. It seems he heard somewhere about red bats...what were they called...? And this bat, meanwhile, told that he was studying here, like his friends, who, by an incredibly funny coincidence, became the organizers of his upside-down pastime.

- Ducklings! Sorry, we don’t even know each other! - He shook off his hands and extended his palm to his interlocutor (if you can call a person who uttered just one phrase an interlocutor) - My name is Bertie!

Reggie glanced at his hand, then turned around to put the book aside. Then he returned the handshake in the same way, nevertheless looking somewhere upward:

- Reginald Jeeves. I work here, so you haven't seen me in classes.

Bertie had already stopped shaking his hand, but his new acquaintance still did not let go. Wooster looked a little nervously into the blue eyes opposite him and coughed awkwardly.

- Ummm heey buddy, nice to meet you and all that... Could you...

Reginald raised his eyebrows slightly, but his face did not look arrogant, rather as if he suddenly saw a large dragonfly on Bertie’s nose.

- Excuse me, but how long have you been hanging here?

Bertie made a thoughtful face, at the same moment he never stopped trying to unobtrusively stick his hand out of Reggie's hand. The whole thing swayed slightly from side to side, reminiscent of a metronome from a music cabinet.

- I don’t know, it must have been since my comrades ran away to fill their bellies. Add a couple more minutes that we laughed together and I tried to pull myself up for an argument... in general, about 10 minutes I think

Jeeves shook his head in displeasure. Bertie didn’t even have time to begin to be indignant when he, grabbing Wooster’s hand tightly, pulled himself up on his toes and pulled the ends of the ropes a couple of times. Those (ropes) quickly began to chatter and immediately unraveled, causing Bertie to fall down. If it weren’t for the clutch obligingly clinging to him, Wooster would definitely have kissed the ground in a completely unknightly manner.

- Whoa! - Bertie grabbed the clothes of his liberator with a breath - T-thank you very much, buddy! It’s a pity, of course, to interrupt the training, you know, but I don’t think I’ve thought through the landing at all... You’re really my savior.

Reginald let go of his hand, but not so quickly that Bertie immediately fell. His new acquaintance laughed a little more in between jumping on one leg or the other, trying to get out of the ropes. Having picked up the book, Jeeves turned around so that he could now see Bertie from a normal perspective. A curly-haired, smiling boy with big blue eyes radiated some kind of inexpressible summer lightness and perkiness. Judging by his stories, he has friends, so why did they leave him in such limbo? Apparently, something related to gambling.

- No need for gratitude, just be careful: staying upside down for a long time can be very dangerous.

Throwing away the last curl of the vine that bound him, Bertie straightened up and clumsily placed his hands on his hips. He was still a little unsteady, but stood firmly on his feet. He didn’t even shake himself off after the fall, so dust and grass remained on his trouser legs. Jeeves grimaced for a second when he looked at this, but he could not fully understand what was the matter. Looking at Reggie, Bertram gradually smiled more and more until he finally laughed. Jeeves also involuntarily broke into a smile.

- Hahaha! Listen, ammm.. Jeeves, would you like...

But then Bertie was interrupted by the sonorous voice of a boy from the side of the building. With black, styled hair and glasses with large eyepieces, he ran towards them waving one hand and holding a small purse slung over his shoulder with the other. An elderly woman in a strict dark dress walked quickly and briskly behind him. With this motley duet, the Bertie recognized his classmate Gussie and his teacher Miss A. It seems that he finally called for help, due to Bertie’s long absence.

- Bertie, Bertie! We're on our way! Sorry it took so long, I hid the tadpoles from Cheese, he would definitely try to throw them away, he always leaves the dining room before me to do this!

Miss A, meanwhile, did not lag behind, and her voice sounded even louder, spreading throughout the yard:

- Wooster! What have you done again, scoundrel? Why not at lunch, do you want to go without food for the coming day?

Bertie quickly turned to his new acquaintance, flashing a nervous smile to apologize for the inconvenience. However, neither behind nor in the area was there a single living soul, which is why the smile quickly faded, giving way to confusion. As if there was no blue-eyed silent savior. Honestly! Bertie checked behind the tree, looked around and even under his own sole!

Then Gussie ran up to him, clinging to his sleeve with his hand:

- Bertie, are you okay? You fell?

The teacher also walked under the shade of a tree, towering heavily over the boys and displeasedly looking around at the tree wrapped in ropes and the soiled clothes of the culprit of the rescue operation.

- Bertram Wilberforce Wooster, please tell me where you got the rope and why you made this display, including your inappropriate appearance?

Bertie stood for a while and looked at the place where he had recently been suspended like some caterpillar that at some point in its life realized that it wanted to learn to fly.

And then he turned to the teacher and absentmindedly began to explain how he wanted to weave a hammock by stealing ropes from the boarding house barn, simultaneously giving signs to Gussie to keep quiet about their friends.

[my-mistake-lets-do-this-again]

i’m currently imagining all of the jeeves and wooster characters on tumblr and i need to find gussie’s blog right now. newt facts and updates would be amazing on my dash frfr

also i think bertie’s blog would be absolutely hilarious. he would have one of those 100% out of context posts that feels like it was made up for the humor of the thing but is for sure like ao3 author level reason for why he vanished for a bit.

he also posts his thoughts and secrets in a side blog where he thinks nobody knows it’s him but jeeves finds it one day and sends him anonymous asks about how he’s doing and wishing him well to help improve bertie’s day

[spotforme]

i don't care about his reasons, i thank Jeeves for everything he has done <3

i am still not over the fact that JEEVES CANONICALLY PUT BERITE IN A MAID OUTFIT!

how have i not gone crazy? do we appreciate this enough?? THAT REALLY HAPPENED IN NO UNCERTAN WAY!!

and there's no way bertie put those clothes and makeup on himself you just know it, Jeeves must have been satisfied as fuck

[eirinstiva]

Alérgico a la pala

Halloa! ~ Bertie sent a letter~~ and Aunt Dahlia is here~~~

She is a large, genial soul, with whom it is a pleasure to hobnob. In her spiritual makeup there is none of that subtle gosh-awfulness which renders such an exhibit as, say, my Aunt Agatha the curse of the Home Counties and a menace to one and all. I have the highest esteem for Aunt Dahlia, and have never wavered in my cordial appreciation of her humanity, sporting qualities and general good-eggishness.

Is Dahlia Bertie's favourite auntie? I think so, this description of her is cute.

“Wake up, Bertie, you old ass!” she cried, in a voice that hit me between the eyebrows and went out at the back of my head.

I need an audio of this as alarm. It would be a bit scary but it's perfect to wake up and get ready with a good laugh.

“I wonder, Bertie,” she proceeded, gazing at me as I should imagine Gussie would have gazed at some newt that was not up to sample, “if you have the faintest conception how perfectly loathsome you look? A cross between an orgy scene in the movies and some low form of pond life. I suppose you were out on the tiles last night?” “I attended a social function, yes,” I said coldly. “Pongo Twistleton’s birthday party. I couldn’t let Pongo down. Noblesse oblige.”

Aunt Dahlia, I think poor Bertie is suffering enough with the hangover, or as we said in (some dialects of) Spanish: el hachazo (axe blow).

I’ve got a job for you.” “But I don’t want a job.” “What you want, my lad, and what you’re going to get are two very different things. There is man’s work for you to do at Brinkley Court.

So is canon that Bertram Wooster doesn't want a job, he loves to a drone in The Drones Club. He's allergic to working (figurative), or as we say in Chilean: alérgico a la pala (allergic to shovel/spade).

“You’re pulling my leg.” “I am not pulling your leg. Nothing would induce me to touch your beastly leg. 

This is the proof of the Bertie closeness to Aunt Dahlia. Would Bertie use that expression in front of Aunt Agatha? No. Would Aunt Agatha answer him in the same way? Nope. Would Bertie dare to say "no" to Aunt Agatha? Mmm...

“Derisively,” I explained. “I won’t do it. That’s final. I simply will not do it.” “You will do it, young Bertie, or never darken my doors again. And you know what that means. No more of Anatole’s dinners for you.”

Aunt Agatha has the same vibes that her nephew, and she knows him very, veeeery well, that's why she asking him for this job.

“But, Aunt Dahlia, listen to reason. I assure you, you’ve got hold of the wrong man. I’m hopeless at a game like that. Ask Jeeves about the time I got lugged in to address a girls’ school. I made the most colossal ass of myself.” “And I confidently anticipate that you will make an equally colossal ass of yourself on the thirty-first of this month. That’s why I want you. The way I look at it is that, as the thing is bound to be a frost, anyway, one may as well get a hearty laugh out of it. I shall enjoy seeing you distribute those prizes, Bertie. 

Would Jeeves help him with this... job? I don't know, and now Bertie has to deal with Gussie visiting so early. There's always the chance to nap later, old chap!

[what-ho-internet]

what is ur favourite brand of shoe

An excellent question! And an excellent use of modern shortenings. You-are becomes u-r –spiffing.

Where to begin? Being cheesed off by rambling myself, I shouldn’t like to be a fellow who harps on and on without getting to the point so I shall say foremostly: I am extremely partial to a two-toned Oxford, although with a dark suit there is nothing to compete with the solid-coloured square-toe.

Now to the more complex answer: my favourite brand is truly dependent on the time of year. I warn you that I am not so adroit as Jeeves on the objective features of shoes –this is, rather, drawing on personal experience and opinion.

Biltwell’s Oxfords offer more breathability than others if you’re in the market for a Summer-shoe or looking to do curvet some settees and pianos (as I do find myself at times.) Gold Bonds and Marshalls are splendid as far as I am concerned for more formal occasions, or if looking to impress an aunt when in need of a bean. These are shoes I have been reliant on for a long time, but as Jeeves does I will reinforce the modern sayings –one ‘cannot be too careful with one’s look,’ just as it is better one is ‘better safe than sorry.’ This did not prohibit me from taking a dekko at some of the new stuff when walking down Oxford street yesterday, however, being the more spontaneous of the two of us. (Myself and Jeeves, that is.)

I went out with the pristine appearance which has come to follow the reputation of this household, rather tan and healthy from my recent trip to the continent. What I saw variously shocked and interested me –there was an establishment of what seemed to me charlatans selling shoes with holes professed to be  part of the design! It seemed to me entirely ridiculous. I turned to my friend –a fellow I call Chuffy, but whose Christian name is unfortunately Marmaduke– and proclaimed that I had never encountered so blatant an devious scheme in all my life. Chuffy, to my horror (as I am still attempting to make up to him a mix-up we had concerning his latest fiance) turned to me with quite the rosy colour and claimed to have actually bought a pair for himself only the previous week!

‘Foorsooth, Chuffy?’ I said, attempting to ease the way without compromising my principles (very much a trick I have learned form Jeeves.) The fellow nodded.

‘I see no reason why I should joke when you have made such a display of the situation,’ he replied in dubious tones which harkened me back to terrifying visions of him launching himself over a bench at me. 

‘I do not make fun Chuffy,’ I said. ‘I only wish to marshal my facts. I simply cannot understand what use a pair of shoes covered in holes could be to a fellow.’

‘They are loungewear, Bertie,’ Chuffy sighed. ‘They are not created to endure extreme weather, as your fine Oxfords are. They are comfortable for lying about the house and all that.’

I pressed my lips together and resolved not to speak up to say that I could not see what the problem with an ordinary set of warm slippers might be. I resolved, too, not to tell Jeeves of Chuffy’s decision to buy these strange modern shoes. He, however, does read these posts so I suppose he will now discover this and be upset by it. I shall warn Chuffy off turning up at the flat for a few days.

I hope my musings have been sufficient, dear anonymous. More, anon!

[teaforthetilllerman]

okay i am completely obsessed with your jeeves playlist, it's SO good. so many fantastic songs and so perfect for him, and so many from that era! ace in the hole feels like it was written for him, a bad fashion jibe, the feudal spirit so vital to him is very represented, and the LONGING!!! the gentleman is a dope makes me unreasonably emo every time i listen to it and think about Them its so so perfect... and "problem solving genius in the UK in the 1929 who can't figure out how to get with my crush" is incredibly hyperspecific and yet you managed to find it. (also listening to cemetry gates and just being like mr morissey sir do you know that sounds super gay??) foolish love gets stuck in my head so much, it's gorgeous; when i realized it was marlene dietrich singing i've grown accustomed i had a legit CRISIS (positive) and this charming man makes me feel a sense of wonder with how good it is for him! i am very much a jeeves girlie and this playlist is such an utter delight. i would gladly read the essay on each song, but in particular i wanted to ask about wilde love and the schubert/ganymede piece and why you included them! thanks so much for sharing your work!

okay first, thank you so much for this message, it made me so happy i had to get up and pace around my room for a bit like a caged animal. seriously though, YOU GET IT, and im going to spend the rest of the day being over the moon about this.

making character playlists is something im very autistic about, in that i tend to spend a lot of time going over my choices and have a method. i try to hit 30 songs, i usually try to stick to a specific genre/time period, and aim for a broad outline of the character. my jeeves playlist ended up with a pretty specific vibe that is just one of many ways i like to interpret him, hes a really interesting character, im studying him in a jar filled with twigs and leaves etc.

i found wilde love while looking for songs for the playlist and ended up listening to it on repeat, personal bias got to me. id been looking for musical settings of poems to include, and couldnt pass up a chance to sneak oscar in. the schubert piece was further poetry inclusion + period appropriate queer symbolism, doubling as a nod to the junior ganymede.

some other little things:

part of the reason for including the chauffeur was because i thought it would be fun to get something from the new romantics in, given jeeves' love of romantic era poets and the associated fashion which would probably leave him recovering for weeks.

i tried to include some overlap in artists with my bertie playlist so that they would tie in a little (they are a set, do not separate).

[yeah-thats-probably-it]

S02E04- Jeeves in the Country

This is the best adaptation of Thank You, Jeeves they possibly could have made

I love how they made Brinkley/Bingley more of a character and really leaned in to him just being the most unpleasant servant it’s possible to be. Imagine having that energy in your house all the time. Every scene with him in it stressed me out (complimentary)

I don’t mind that they cut the Glossop subplot. They were probably afraid it would make things too confusing and they were probably right

The fact that Bertie doesn’t mention his recent engagement to Pauline until she actually appears just highlights how little the engagement mattered to him lol

They kept my favorite element from the book, viz. Bertie and Jeeves meeting up to gossip and scheme despite no longer having any legitimate reason to spend time together

I've commented before on how Thank You, Jeeves lets you sense Jeeves's growing regret about leaving Bertie by having contrasting scenes showing how his new employers treat him vs how Bertie treats him. The show does this impressively well with just a few lines, having Chuffy ignore Jeeves's advice on how to write a love letter and then sending him off to work for Stoker like he's an object to be passed around. You can see in Jeeves’s expression how he feels about this without needing it spelled out. It's surprisingly subtle work for this show.

On that note, Jeeves giving love-letter writing advice. Oh my god. Yeah, Jeeves, those Rosie M. Banks books belong to your aunt, you massive sap.

HELIOTROPE PAJAMAS SCREEN DEBUT

Do I detect a note of genuine fear in Jeeves's expression when he sees the fire?

Fake love interest to make the real love interest look better, the old faithful

Jeeves making tea for Bertie over the fire at the end oh my god oh my god 😭❤️

No blackface thank GOD. I can rewatch this episode without cringing at any part of it!! (I've seen the pictures I know they do it later so I assume they added blackface to a story that didn't originally have it? WHY. You made a very sweet and funny adaptation that was loyal to the tone and spirit of the book while managing to cut around the bad part!! Why would you not just breathe a sigh of relief that you successfully adapted a book that heavily features blackface and managed to excise the blackface!! Take the W and go home!!!)

[hugh-lauries-bald-spot]

Ooohhhhh why do you think Bertie is the one taking care of spiders? I can see it, but I’d be interested in your reasoning! :)

i like the big, tall, competent guy being a bit squeamish thats the only reasoning behind it <3

jeeves can handle all kinds of weird shit but i think he gets a bit pale around creepy crawlies

bertie is surprisingly alright around them (i imagine the drones have pulled many a bug-related prank on each other so hes somewhat desensitized)

[huanglaoshu]

"The Junior Ganymede club book is still in existence. That is what tempers my ecstasy with anxiety. We have seen how packed with trinitrotoluol it is, and we know how easily it can fall into the hands of the powers of darkness. Who can say that another Bingley may not come along and snitch it from the secretary's room? I know it is too much to ask you to burn the beastly thing, but couldn't you at least destroy the eighteen pages in which I figure?" "I have already done so, sir." "What?" "Yes, sir." You wouldn't be far wrong in saying that I was visibly moved -- so visibly, indeed, that Gus the cat, who had gone to sleep on my solar plexus, shot some inches in the air and showed considerable annoyance. "Jeeves," I started to vociferate, but he cut in first. "In taking this step, sir, I do not feel that I have inflicted any disservice on the Junior Ganymede club. The club book was never intended to be light and titillating reading for the members. Its function is solely to acquaint those who are contemplating taking new posts with the foibles of prospective employers. This being so, there is no need for the record contained in the eighteen pages in which you figure. For I may hope, may I not, sir, that you will allow me to remain permanently in your service?" "You may indeed, Jeeves. It often beats me, though, why with your superlative gifts you should want to." "There is a tie that binds, sir." "A what that whats?" "A tie that binds, sir." "Then heaven bless it, and may it continue to bind indefinitely. Fate's happenstance may oft win more than toil, as the fellow said." "What fellow would that be, sir? Thoreau?" "No, me." "Sir?" "A little thing of my own. I don't know what it means, but you can take it as coming straight from the heart." "Very good, sir."

-- Jeeves and the Tie That Binds, chapter 17

[eirinstiva]

Theatre kid!

Bertie Wooster sent me a letter with the first part of "Jeeves and the Chump Cyril" and as usual he starts with a bit of Woosterian philosophy. Being in America so far from Aunt Agatha leaves him enough time to think about his life in England. He can't live forever running away from his aunt.

I know that London is a biggish city, but, believe me, it isn’t half big enough for any fellow to live in with Aunt Agatha when she’s after him with the old hatchet. 

Well, at least he could try (?)

Another marital fight moment of coldness between Jeeves and Wooster. The reason: purple socks. This time I agree with Wooster, purple sock are very fashionable like the ones I have un colour purple with coffee cups. Very stylish!

So there's this guy... Cyril Bassington-Bassington. Should Wooster babysit him? Wow~

“I am familiar with the name Bassington-Bassington, sir. There are three branches of the Bassington-Bassington family⁠—the Shropshire Bassington-Bassingtons, the Hampshire Bassington-Bassingtons, and the Kent Bassington-Bassingtons.” “England seems pretty well stocked up with Bassington-Bassingtons.” “Tolerably so, sir.” “No chance of a sudden shortage, I mean, what?” “Presumably not, sir.”

I tried to read this aloud and my tongue was suffering.

How can somebody fall in prison in less than 24 hours since arriving to a city? I know that for some reason some people around Bertie end in prision for different things, but less than six hours is record!

Has Cyril Bassington-Bassington called yet? On no account introduce him into theatrical circles. Vitally important. Letter follows.

I think that maybe this time the plot is against Bertie. The only thing he needs to avoid is to leave Cyril near anything theatre related, and the first thing he does is to present him to a scriptwriter!

Jolly old Caffyn has given me a small part in that musical comedy of his, Ask Dad. Only a bit, you know, but quite tolerably ripe. I’m feeling frightfully braced, don’t you know!” He drank his drink, and went on. He didn’t seem to notice that I wasn’t jumping about the room, yapping with joy.

Cyril has talent!!

“You know, I’ve always wanted to go on the stage, you know,” he said. “But my jolly old guv’nor wouldn’t stick it at any price. Put the old Waukeesi down with a bang, and turned bright purple whenever the subject was mentioned. That’s the real reason why I came over here, if you want to know. I knew there wasn’t a chance of my being able to work this stage wheeze in London without somebody getting on to it and tipping off the guv’nor, so I rather brainily sprang the scheme of popping over to Washington to broaden my mind. There’s nobody to interfere on this side, you see, so I can go right ahead!”

And a good(?) idea! Cyril deserves a chance to be an actor and Wooster the chance to use purple socks, but he needs to mend his relationsip with Jeeves...

Hard decisions.

[airandangels]

Reasons why Jeeves stays with Bertie:

Bertie is a generous employer who appreciates him

He thrives on a challenge

He likes being called a gazelle

[taurnachardhin]

So as I've been making my way through all the Jeeves books, one of the most entertaining things about Wodehouse's language is how often Bertie uses abbreves! Which I associate with millennial slang, so it was surprising to me to find that this was a thing goofy young people were evidently doing in the 1920's also. I mean, obvs we're like this because we spent our formative years talking to each other via things like AIM and SMS where efficient use of time and/or character limits necessitated a kind of shorthand, so why does this interwar doofus talk like it's 2003 and he's trying not to exceed his family's texting plan? But then I was like, oh, duh--they ALSO had a text-based near-instant communication ("communicash" I imagine Bertie would say) technology with character limits that was peaking in popularity at this time, and is in fact a ubiquitous plot device in the stories, so maybe they literally did it for the exact same reason...light googling says maybe this was exactly it!

Anyway, I love that! I love that people today do the same silly things with language we were doing a hundred years ago.

[lucky-katebishop]

I think one of my favorite things about Jeeves and Wooster is that everyone always describes Bertie as a playboy, but he isn’t, really. Like, yeah, he’s been engaged to almost every single woman in London but that’s only because of Aunt Agatha. And even then he always tries to get out of it because he can’t fathom living with a woman, bedding with a woman, pretty much anything to do with a woman besides having lunch with her every once in a while and helping her marry one of his friends. 

Like, okay, with Pauline Stoker, she’s literally IN his bed and he’s just like, are you wearing my pajamas? It doesn’t even cross his mind that she could be there for him! And in Wooster with a Wife he describes his life as a ‘monkhood.’ The only reason he ever considered marrying was because for a split second he considered having a kid, and even then he decided adopting would be better. 

I love that Aunt Agatha always puts him down for being an irresponsible playboy but she’s the entire reason why his reputation with women is so poor. 

[mysticalspiders]

Voyage of the Nautilus Liveblog: As Master Wishes

Three seconds before the arrival of J. B. Hobson’s letter, I no more dreamed of chasing the unicorn than of trying for the Northwest Passage. Three seconds after reading this letter from the honorable Secretary of the Navy, I understood at last that my true vocation, my sole purpose in life, was to hunt down this disturbing monster and rid the world of it.

Wow, this is so relatable. Not caring about something until the option presents itself to you and then its your sole purpose in life! 

I wanted nothing more than to see my country again, my friends, my modest quarters by the Botanical Gardens, my dearly beloved collections! 

Yup, I love a naturalist! I love that Aronnax lives by the Botanical Gardens?! Just wants to get home to see his collections!? Is he a blorbo already? 

(I feel like my love of Gerald Durrell is influencing me a bit here.)

Classifying was everything to him, so he knew nothing else.

I love Conseil already as well! I feel like their dynamic is giving a bit of a naturalist Bertie Wooster and Jeeves dynamic if a bit more serious and the ages flipped? I don’t know I’ve only had them for two paragraphs. Also this line about classifying is making me think of all those analyses of Seward as the observer. I feel like there is more to Conseil being versed in classification.

The lad was thirty years old, and his age to that of his employer was as fifteen is to twenty. Please forgive me for this underhanded way of admitting I had turned forty.

Ha! Aronnax is so funny? Like the writing is very straight forward and descriptive and then there are these just hilarious little turns of phrase? It wasn’t really what I was expecting! Compared to a lot of the other substack narrators I feel like Aronnax knows he funny or is trying to be humorous? 

But Conseil had one flaw. He was a fanatic on formality, and he only addressed me in the third person—to the point where it got tiresome.

I suspect I was right with my Jeeves comparison. 

There was good reason to stop and think, even for the world’s most emotionless man.

wow we’re already bringing out the superaltives!

Pack as much into my trunk as you can, my traveling kit, my suits, shirts, and socks, don’t bother counting, just squeeze it all in

Aronnax packs in much the same way I pack.

Conseil did them in a flash, and I was sure the lad hadn’t missed a thing, because he classified shirts and suits as expertly as birds and mammals.

Everything about Conseil is the most stereotypical manservent character and yet I cannot help but be obsessed. 

“With all due respect to master,” Conseil replied, “as comfortable as a hermit crab inside the shell of a whelk.”

What a statement! I have to say I agree with Conseil on this one. 

At this order, which was relayed to the engine by means of a compressed-air device

Does anyone know what this is referring too because I’m very curious!

So far I’m enjoying 20,000 Leagues more than I thought I would? I don’t know why I doubted because every single substack has been good and I love the ocean and ocean adventure. The Conseil and Aronnax dynamic is so Jeeves and Wooster and I love it!