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29-759: Cocktail Time is a comic novel by P. G. Wodehouse , first published in the United Kingdom on 20 June 1958 by Herbert Jenkins , London and in the United States on 24 July 1958 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. , New York. A condensed version of the story was originally published in the Ladies' Home Journal (US) in one issue in April 1958. It is the third novel to feature Frederick Twistleton, Earl of Ickenham, better known as Uncle Fred . The story begins as Uncle Fred knocks off Sir Raymond Bastable’s top hat with

58-500: A Man of Letters , but the death of his father when Jerome was 13 and of his mother when he was 15 forced him to quit his studies and find work to support himself. He was employed at the London and North Western Railway , initially collecting coal that fell along the railway, and he remained there for four years. Jerome was inspired by his elder sister Blandina's love for the theatre, and he decided to try his hand at acting in 1877, under

87-401: A literary genre is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Jerome K. Jerome Jerome Klapka Jerome (2 May 1859 – 14 June 1927) was an English writer and humorist, best known for the comic travelogue Three Men in a Boat (1889). Other works include the essay collections Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow (1886) and Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow ; Three Men on

116-648: A "tenth-rate writer". Jerome volunteered to serve his country at the outbreak of the First World War , but being 55 years old, he was rejected by the British Army. Eager to serve in some capacity, he volunteered as an ambulance driver for the French Army. In 1926, Jerome published his autobiography, My Life and Times . Shortly afterwards, the Borough of Walsall conferred on him the title Freeman of

145-491: A Brazil nut fired through the window of the Drones Club from a catapult. Sir Raymond assumes that the culprit was a young Drone, but is unsure how to respond, knowing that a letter to The Times would open him to ridicule, especially as he is about to stand for Parliament. Uncle Fred suggests writing a novel exposing the iniquities of the younger generation. The eventual novel, "Cocktail Time", which Bastable publishes under

174-442: A Foundling was a notable mid-18th century work in the genre. More contemporary British humorists are George MacDonald Fraser , Tom Sharpe , Kingsley Amis , Terry Pratchett , Richard Gordon , Rob Grant , Douglas Adams , Evelyn Waugh , Anthony Powell , Nick Hornby , Helen Fielding , Eric Sykes , Leslie Thomas , Stephen Fry , Richard Asplin , Mike Harding , Joseph Connolly , and Ben Elton . James Joyce 's Ulysses

203-684: A boat on the River Thames ; he published Three Men in a Boat soon afterwards. He continued to write fiction, non-fiction and plays over the next few decades, though never with the same level of success. Jerome was born at Belsize House, 1 Caldmore Road, in Caldmore , Walsall , England. He was the fourth child of Marguerite Jones and Jerome Clapp (who later renamed himself Jerome Clapp Jerome), an ironmonger and lay preacher who dabbled in architecture. He had two sisters, Paulina and Blandina, and one brother, Milton, who died at an early age. Jerome

232-494: A journalist, writing essays, satires, and short stories, but most of these were rejected. Over the next few years, he was a school teacher, a packer, and a solicitor's clerk. Finally, in 1885, he had some success with On the Stage ;— and Off (1885), a comic memoir of his experiences with the acting troupe, followed by Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow (1886), a collection of humorous essays which had previously appeared in

261-450: A little boat," a fact that was to have a significant influence on his next and most important work, Three Men in a Boat . Jerome sat down to write Three Men in a Boat as soon as the couple returned from their honeymoon. In the novel, his wife was replaced by his longtime friends George Wingrave (George) and Carl Hentschel (Harris). This allowed him to create comic (and non-sentimental) situations which were nonetheless intertwined with

290-496: A musical. Its writing style has influenced many humourists and satirists in England and elsewhere. With the financial security that the sales of the book provided, Jerome was able to dedicate all of his time to writing. He wrote a number of plays, essays, and novels, but was never able to recapture the success of Three Men in a Boat . In 1892, he was chosen by Robert Barr to edit The Idler (over Rudyard Kipling ). The magazine

319-401: A pseudonym, becomes a succès de scandale after being condemned by a bishop. Afraid of being unmasked as the author, Bastable allows his ne'er-do-well nephew Cosmo Wisdom to take the credit, and the royalties, of the book. With his friend Gordon "Oily" Carlisle, and Carlisle's wife Gertie, Cosmo plots to blackmail Bastable, and writes a letter revealing the true author of "Cocktail Time". Much of

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348-539: Is a satirical critique in its very origin, for example, must be understood differently than a more literal novelistic plot. One of the most notable British comic novelists is P. G. Wodehouse , whose work follows on from that of Jerome K. Jerome , George Grossmith , and Weedon Grossmith (see The Diary of a Nobody ) . Saki 's work is also significant, although his career was cut short by World War I . A. G. Macdonell and G. K. Chesterton also produced flights of whimsy. Henry Fielding's The History of Tom Jones,

377-542: Is also living in Dovetail Hammer, with his sister Phoebe Wisdom, Cosmo's mother, and Sir Raymond's butler, Albert Peasemarch (who is secretly in love with Phoebe), as tenants of Johnny Pearce. Oily travels to Dovetail Hammer and attempts to blackmail Sir Raymond, but Uncle Fred manages to extract the letter by posing as Inspector Jervis of the Yard. He then blackmails Bastable into treating Phoebe more kindly by keeping

406-402: Is considered by some to be a comic novel. Notable American comic novelists include Mark Twain , Richard Brautigan , Philip Roth , John Kennedy Toole , James Wilcox , John Swartzwelder , Larry Doyle , Jennifer Weiner , Carl Hiaasen , Joseph Heller , Peter De Vries , Thomas Pynchon , Kurt Vonnegut , Terry Southern , and Christopher Moore . Iraj Pezeshkzad This article about

435-421: Is the through-line and organizing genre for the novel's tone, orientation and sensibility. A reader is not expected to 'find' or 'discover' a humorous moment within the reality of the text, rather, humor is the ongoing mood, like a comedy movie, rather than a movie that has some comedy or laughs within it. Literary scholars distinguish textual analysis on this basis; the theory being that a story by Mark Twain that

464-789: The Borough . During these last years, Jerome spent more time at his farmhouse Gould's Grove south-east of Ewelme near Wallingford . Jerome suffered a paralytic stroke and a cerebral haemorrhage in June 1927, on a motoring tour from Devon to London via Cheltenham and Northampton . He lay in Northampton General Hospital for two weeks before dying on 14 June. He was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium and his ashes buried at St Mary's Church, Ewelme, Oxfordshire. Elsie, Ettie and his sister Blandina are buried beside him. His gravestone reads "For we are labourers together with God". A small museum dedicated to his life and works

493-512: The Bummel , a sequel to Three Men in a Boat ; and several other novels. Jerome was born in Walsall , England, and, although he was able to attend grammar school, his family suffered from poverty at times, as did he as a young man trying to earn a living in various occupations. In his twenties, he was able to publish some work, and success followed. He married in 1888, and the honeymoon was spent on

522-526: The Bummel , the sequel to Three Men in a Boat , reintroducing the same characters in the setting of a foreign bicycle tour. The book was nonetheless unable quite to recapture the sheer comic energy and historic rootedness of its celebrated predecessor (lacking as it does the unifying thread that is the river Thames itself) and it has enjoyed only modest success by comparison. However, some of the individual comic vignettes that make up "Bummel" have been praised as highly as those of "Boat". In 1902, he published

551-542: The history of the Thames region. The book, published in 1889, became an instant success and has never been out of print. Its popularity was such that the number of registered Thames boats went up fifty per cent in the year following its publication, and it contributed significantly to the Thames becoming a tourist attraction. In its first twenty years alone, the book sold over a million copies worldwide. It has been adapted into films, television , radio shows, stage plays, and even

580-432: The letter himself. Cosmo and Bastable discover that the movie rights of the book could be worth a fortune. Cosmo changes his mind, deciding that he'd like to be the author of "Cocktail Time" after all. Needing the letter back, Cosmo proceeds to Dovetail Hammer. Uncle Fred unwisely gives the letter to Albert Peasemarch for safekeeping. However, while drunk, Peasemarch reveals the letter's location to Cosmo. As Cosmo retrieves

609-427: The letter, Oily and Gertie attack him, knocking him out, and steal the letter. She and Oily hide it in an imitation walnut cabinet, which is taken away to be auctioned. However, Uncle Fred finds the letter and removes it, allowing Oily and Cosmo to bid against each other fiercely. Uncle Fred extracts £500 from Sir Raymond in return for the letter, which he gives to Johnny, allowing Johnny to marry Belinda. Sir Raymond gets

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638-479: The movie rights to "Cocktail Time", and marries his longtime admirer Barbara Crowe, while Albert marries Phoebe. Cocktail Time was published in April 1958 in the Ladies' Home Journal magazine with illustrations by Al Parker . One other Wodehouse story was published in the Ladies' Home Journal , The Return of Jeeves , in 1954. The illustration on the first US edition dust jacket was by Robert Shore. The story

667-470: The newly founded magazine, Home Chimes , the same magazine that would later serialise Three Men in a Boat . On 21 June 1888, Jerome married Georgina Elizabeth Henrietta Stanley Marris ("Ettie"), nine days after she divorced her first husband. She had a daughter from her previous five-year marriage nicknamed Elsie (her actual name was also Georgina). The honeymoon took place on the River Thames "in

696-552: The novel Paul Kelver , which is widely regarded as autobiographical. His 1908 play The Passing of the Third Floor Back introduced a more sombre and religious Jerome. The main character was played by one of the leading actors of the time, Johnston Forbes-Robertson , and the play was a tremendous commercial success. It was twice made into film, in 1918 and in 1935 . However, the play was condemned by critics; Max Beerbohm described it as "vilely stupid" and as written by

725-422: The rest of the book is concerned with various characters' attempts to get hold of the letter. The action moves to Dovetail Hammer, Berkshire, where Uncle Fred is staying with his godson Johnny Pearce. Johnny is in love with Belinda Farringdon, but needs £500 in order to marry her. Uncle Fred resolves to help, but for the time being is more concerned with retrieving the letter. It so happens that Sir Raymond Bastable

754-416: The stage name Harold Crichton. He joined a repertory theatre troupe that produced plays on a shoestring budget, often drawing on the actors' own meagre resources — Jerome was penniless at the time — to purchase costumes and props. After three years on the road with no evident success, the 21-year-old Jerome decided that he had had enough of stage life and sought other occupations. He tried to become

783-534: Was an illustrated satirical monthly catering to gentlemen (who, following the theme of the publication, appreciated idleness). In 1893, he founded To-Day , but had to withdraw from both publications because of financial difficulties and a libel suit. Jerome's play Biarritz had a run of two months at the Prince of Wales Theatre between April and June 1896. In 1898, a short stay in Germany inspired Three Men on

812-485: Was included in the collection The World of Uncle Fred , published in August 1983 by Hutchinson, London. Comic novel Novels, books, plays, and many works of fiction or art can certainly contain and include passages or themes that are comic, humorous or satirical , but the defining characteristic of this genre is that comedy is the framework and baseline of the story, rather than an occasional or recurring motif. It

841-644: Was registered as Jerome Clapp Jerome, like his father's amended name, and the Klapka appears to be a later variation (after the exiled Hungarian general György Klapka ). The family fell into poverty owing to bad investments in the local mining industry, and debt collectors visited often, an experience that Jerome described vividly in his autobiography My Life and Times (1926). At the age of two Jerome moved with his parents to Stourbridge , Worcestershire, then later to east London. The young Jerome attended St Marylebone Grammar School . He wished to go into politics or be

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