...looking like a second Marat...
- Why should I not publish my diary? I have often seen reminiscences of people I have never even heard of, and I fail to see—because I do not happen to be a 'Somebody'—why my diary should not be interesting. My only regret is that I did not commence it when I was a youth.
A comic novel by George Grossmith with illustrations by his brother Weedon Grossmith, written in the form of a journal. It first appeared in 1888-89 as an occasional serial in Punch, and an expanded version appeared as a book in 1892.
Mr Charles Pooter, middle-aged Victorian Everyman and clerk in the City accounting house of Mr Perkupp, chronicles fifteen months in his life from the time he and his wife Carrie move into a new suburban house in North London. In that time the socially awkward Mr Pooter experiences mishaps, misunderstandings, insults and humiliations. He is taken advantage of, he worries about his terribly modern son and the fast company he keeps, and he is generally dogged by misfortune. It may be one of the funniest books ever written.
It has been staged and filmed many times, including a silent film version by Ken Russell and Mrs Pooter's Diary, a play telling the story from Mrs Pooter's point of view by Keith Waterhouse for Judi Dench and her husband Michael Williams.
This work provides examples of:
- A Bloody Mess. Pooter buys some red enamel paint and is so impressed he paints the bath, amongst other things. Two days later when he takes a bath the paint melts in the hot water.
- Bumbling Dad: We see this trope from the dad's point of view; Pooter is this towards his son Lupin, mainly because of the generation gap — Pooter will frequently bemoan that he has no idea what Lupin is talking about most of the time.
- Cannot Tell a Joke. Mr Pooter likes to think of himself as a wit, but invariably mangles the joke by overelaborating.I said: “A very extraordinary thing has struck me.” “Something funny, as usual,” said Cummings. “Yes,” I replied; “I think even you will say so this time. It’s concerning you both; for doesn’t it seem odd that Gowing’s always coming and Cummings’ always going?”
- Diaries Are Girly: Averted here as the protaganist is a middle-aged man. Mrs Pooter's diary embraces the concept.
- Dude, Not Funny!: Most of the time, Pooter's puns are received with a kind of weary resignation. However, the above 'Cummings and Gowing' pun leads to both men storming out of his house complaining how distasteful the 'joke' is.
- Epistolary Novel. Told in the form of a diary.
- Hangover Sensitivity: Pooter tends to have bad effects for days after only a couple of glasses of champagne.
- Happily Married: Pooter and Carrie, if Pooter's diaries are to be believed. It's implied that Carrie gets a bit more exasperated and sarcastic with Pooter's idiosyncrasies than Pooter perhaps realises and they have a few marital disagreements over the course of the novel, but they're quite happy together; she apparently laughs at his jokes and is willing to take an impromptu dance around the living room with him.
- Hypocrite: Gowing tends to be quick to make jokes at Pooter's expense, and equally quick to get huffy whenever jokes are made at his.
- Incredibly Lame Pun: As suggested by the example under Cannot Tell a Joke, Pooter's preferred form of humor tends to revolve around lame puns, especially those around people's names.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Pooter is a rather snobby, stuffy and pompous little fellow, but he's not really a bad sort; he's genuinely besotted with his wife Carrie, worries about his son Lupin and wants the best for him (albeit not really understanding him) and does possess a sense of humour, albeit not exactly a great one.
- Middle Name Basis. The Pooters' son prefers to be known by his middle name, Lupin.
- Not a Morning Person. Lupin, to the dismay of his father.
- Punny Names. Mr Pooter's friends Cummings and Gowing, who tend to arrive at the house just as the other is leaving.
- Running Gag:
- Cummings keeps falling ill / getting into minor injuries and peevishly expressing irritation that none of his friends call upon him to express their sympathies. When informed that this is because none of them were aware there was anything wrong with him, he directs them to the Bicycle News.
- Mr. Padge's only recorded words ever being "That's right."
- Small Name, Big Ego: Something of a Trope Codifier in terms of British comedy archetypes. Mr Pooter is a snobby, pompous, humorously humorless, socially awkward, frustrated and inept little man who's upper-but-not-quite-as-upper-middle-class as he'd like to be, trapped in a somewhat menial job and draining circumstances which he tries to present as being more important and impressive than in fact they are, and tends to be the butt of the joke despite and largely because of his inflated opinion of himself. The whole joke of the novel, indeed, is that he believes his rather mundane and trifling recollections about the various social faux pas and mishaps he bumbles into are worthy of being immortalised alongside the memoirs of the great figures of the world. His influence can be found in a wide range of British sitcoms and characters, Captain Mainwaring to Basil Fawlty to Alan Partridge to David Brent, and more besides.
