The Metropolitan Touch
The story revolves around Bertie Wooster's friend, Bingo Little, who is trying to win over the heart of Mary Tressidder, a young woman from a wealthy family in Twing. However, things don't go as planned for Bingo, and he ends up getting into trouble. Bingo decides to stage a romantic evening with Mary by putting on a show at her home, but things quickly spiral out of control. The oranges that are supposed to be thrown to the audience turn out to be real, causing chaos and destruction. The audience is shocked and outraged, and soon, they're all clamoring for Bingo's head. Bingo tries to escape through the cellar, but he gets caught by Mary, who is furious with him. She tells him that she never wants to speak to him again, and that she always suspected him of being a heartless practical joker. Meanwhile, Bertie Wooster is trying to help his friend out of this mess. He tries to warn Bingo about the angry mob waiting for him outside, but Bingo is too proud to listen. Eventually, Bertie manages to get through to Bingo and convinces him to sneak out through the cellar. The story ends with a twist, as it's revealed that Mary has actually married someone else - Hubert Wingham, a clergyman from a wealthy family. Bertie is not surprised by this turn of events, given how things went down at the show. Throughout the story, Jeeves is portrayed as a calm and collected individual who is always looking out for his master's interests. He even manages to make some money on the side by investing in the book that was made on the issue between Bingo and Steggles.
By P. G. Wodehouse · First published 1927 · Genre: Humor, Short story, Fiction · 8,996 words
First lines
Nobody is more alive than I am to the fact that young Bingo Little is in many respects a sound old egg. In one way and another he has made life pretty interesting for me at intervals ever since we were at school. As a companion for a cheery hour I think I would choose him before anybody. On the other hand, I'm bound to say that there are things about him that could be improved. His habit of falling in love with every second girl he sees is one of them; and another is his way of letting the world in on the secrets of his heart. If you want shrinking reticence, don't go to Bingo, because he's got about as much of it as a soap-advertisement.
What this Textopian page supports
The Metropolitan Touch is listed on Textopian as a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, dated 1927 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: P. G. Wodehouse
- Date: 1927 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Humor, Short story, Fiction
- Length: 8,996 words
- Structure: 1 section, 199 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Metropolitan Touch by P. G. Wodehouse
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Metropolitan Touch?
- How does this short story by P. G. Wodehouse fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Humor first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Humor — P. G. Wodehouse is highly regarded as a humorist and his story 'The Metropolitan Touch' falls easily within the genre due to the highly comical characters and comedic situations.
- Short story — 'The Metropolitan Touch' is a standalone short story, with a compact and self-contained narrative form.
- Fiction — The metropolitan touch is a work of fiction created by P. G. Wodehouse, with invented characters, settings and events.
Tags
comedy · satire · romance · social class · British literature · humor · urban life · character-driven · witty dialogue · lighthearted · eccentric characters · plot twists