P.G. Wodehouse, author of “Strychnine in the Soup” a story, in essence about a story, is a classic example of the use of literature in modernist writing. The tale, “Strychnine in the Soup” focuses readers on the culture surrounding a good novel and brings readers to understand and question the culture surrounding literature.
Individuals throughout Wodehouse’s “Strychnine in the Soup” are constantly attempting to read a single piece of literature, a novel within the story - Strychnine in the Soup. The players are so interested in reading that they often become neglectful of other life details and personal interactions. The group of individuals enthralled in the novel, are depicted as being very exclusive of those who have not, or are yet to, read the novel. Wodehouse is able to show the exclusivity of the literary culture established during the modernist era and use this environment as a setting for his tale.
One can call into question the idea that Wodehouse has written a story, about a man in a bar telling a story…about a story. Through this detachment, Wodehouse is able to show readers their degree of removal from the actual literature and call into question the role of the reader. Whether it is the detachment of the reader or the representation of what a reader is like, Wodehouse is able to focuses readers on the culture surrounding a good novel and brings readers to understand and question “literature”.
