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cimoreneI finished The Frangipani Tree Mystery a couple of weeks ago, having seen multiple reviews of the series from you guys, my dw circle. I enjoyed myself a lot, and have bought the rest of the series. I started reading The Betel Nut Tree Mystery last night.
And it's apparently set in the world of PG Wodehouse.
Now, of course little references to other fictional worlds often appear in fiction. It's a popular type of Easter egg!
And of course a reference to Wodehouse is not a surprise for fiction set in the 1930s; anyone who writes fiction set in the thirties today is bound to be a fan of the period who has read and studied it widely, like me, and it would be weirder if they hadn't studied the works of Wodehouse just as much as the works of Agatha Christie.
So mentioning the hilarious character of Sir Roderick Glossop and giving him a new son only to kill this son off before the first page as her primary victim... I suppose it's the contrast in genre vibes that's stubbing my mental toe each time she mentions him.
It's not a mismatch in the way it would be to namecheck a member of Bertie Wooster's supporting cast in a work of fantasy, eg one set in a universe where the supernatural exists: Wodehouse and Ovidia Yu are both writing in a world as close to vanilla reality as possible. They don't even change the names of celebrities and public figures, the way Christie did.
But the idea that a character one degree of separation from Jeeves and Bertie could be the victim of murder just doesn't compute. Murder is a subject for mystery novels in the world of Wodehouse, not something that Pop Glossop, Tuppy, and Honoria might be personally touched by when they receive an official telegram.
In other words, Sir Roderick, the eminent loony doctor, might exist in the world of the Tree mysteries, but they can't exist in his.
And it's apparently set in the world of PG Wodehouse.
Now, of course little references to other fictional worlds often appear in fiction. It's a popular type of Easter egg!
And of course a reference to Wodehouse is not a surprise for fiction set in the 1930s; anyone who writes fiction set in the thirties today is bound to be a fan of the period who has read and studied it widely, like me, and it would be weirder if they hadn't studied the works of Wodehouse just as much as the works of Agatha Christie.
So mentioning the hilarious character of Sir Roderick Glossop and giving him a new son only to kill this son off before the first page as her primary victim... I suppose it's the contrast in genre vibes that's stubbing my mental toe each time she mentions him.
It's not a mismatch in the way it would be to namecheck a member of Bertie Wooster's supporting cast in a work of fantasy, eg one set in a universe where the supernatural exists: Wodehouse and Ovidia Yu are both writing in a world as close to vanilla reality as possible. They don't even change the names of celebrities and public figures, the way Christie did.
But the idea that a character one degree of separation from Jeeves and Bertie could be the victim of murder just doesn't compute. Murder is a subject for mystery novels in the world of Wodehouse, not something that Pop Glossop, Tuppy, and Honoria might be personally touched by when they receive an official telegram.
In other words, Sir Roderick, the eminent loony doctor, might exist in the world of the Tree mysteries, but they can't exist in his.
(no subject)
Date: 11 Sep 2024 02:24 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 11 Sep 2024 02:41 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 11 Sep 2024 05:48 am (UTC)I also like her Aunty Lee series, which are modern day mysteries also set in Singapore.
(no subject)
Date: 11 Sep 2024 02:40 pm (UTC)