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Reginald Jeeves is a fictional character in a series of humorous short stories and novels by P. G. Wodehouse (1881–1975), being the highly-competent valet of a wealthy and idle young Londoner named Bertie Wooster. Created in 1915, Jeeves continued to appear in Wodehouse's work until his last completed novel ''Aunts Aren't Gentlemen'' in 1974, a span of 59 years. The name "Jeeves" comes from Percy Jeeves (1888–1916), a Warwickshire cricketer killed in the First World War.〔(Menon, Suresh. "The other Plum" ) Retrieved 25 July 2013.〕 Both the name "Jeeves" and the character of Jeeves have come to be thought of as the quintessential name and nature of a valet or butler, inspiring many similar characters (as well as the name of the Internet search engine Ask Jeeves). A "Jeeves" is now a generic term in references such as the ''Oxford English Dictionary''. In a conversation with a policeman in "Jeeves and the Kid Clementina", Jeeves refers to himself as both a "gentleman's personal gentleman" and a "personal gentleman's gentleman."〔''Very Good, Jeeves'', 1930.〕 This means that Jeeves is a valet, not a butler—that is, he serves a man and not a household. However, Bertie Wooster has lent out Jeeves as a butler on several occasions, and notes: "If the call comes, he can buttle with the best of them."〔''Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves'', 1963.〕 ==Character== The premise of the Jeeves stories is that the brilliant valet is firmly in control of his rich and foppish young employer's life. Jeeves becomes Bertie Wooster's protector and all-purpose problem solver, devising subtle plans to rescue Bertie and his friends from tiresome social obligations, demanding relatives, brushes with the law, and, above all, problems involving women. Wodehouse derives much comic effect from having Bertie, his narrator, remain blissfully unaware of Jeeves's machinations, until all is revealed at the end of the story. Jeeves presents the ideal image of the gentlemanly manservant, always impeccably dressed, gliding silently in and out of rooms, and speaking mainly when spoken to (most often replying "Yes, sir" or "No, sir"). His mental prowess is attributed to eating fish, according to Wooster, who often offers the dish to Jeeves. Jeeves supplements his brain power by relaxing with "improving" books, such as the complete works of Spinoza, or "Dostoyevsky and the great Russians".〔« "My personal tastes lie more in the direction of Dostoyevsky and the great Russians." » (Jeeves, in ''Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit'', chapter four.)〕 He frequently quotes from Shakespeare and the romantic poets. In addition to his encyclopedic knowledge of literature and academic subjects, he is also a "bit of a whiz" in all matters pertaining to horse racing, car maintenance, drink preparation (especially hangover remedies), etiquette, and the ways of women. Perhaps his most impressive and useful area of expertise is a flawless knowledge of the British aristocracy. Jeeves has distinct ideas about how an English gentleman should dress and behave, and sees it as his duty to impart these values to his employer. When friction arises between Jeeves and Bertie, it is usually over some new item about which Wooster is enthusiastic, such as a garish vase, a moustache, monogrammed handkerchiefs, a straw boater, an alpine hat, a scarlet cummerbund, spats in the Eton colours, a white dinner jacket, or purple socks. Wooster's decision to take up playing the banjolele in ''Thank You, Jeeves'' almost led to a permanent rift between the two. Jeeves's problem-solving ability often includes a discreet means to dispose of the offending item. Jeeves is a member of the Junior Ganymede Club, a London club for butlers and valets. In the club book, all members must record the foibles of their employers to forewarn other butlers and valets. The section labelled "Wooster, Bertram" is the largest in the book. In ''Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit'' it contained "eleven pages",〔In ''Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit'', chapter four.〕 and by ''Much Obliged, Jeeves'' it has grown to eighteen pages.〔"'() As a rule, a few lines suffice. Your eighteen pages are quite exceptional.' 'Eighteen? I thought it was eleven.' 'You are omitting to take into your calculations the report of your misadventures at Totleigh Towers ()'." :—Jeeves and Wooster, in ''Much Obliged, Jeeves'', chapter one.〕 However, at the end of ''Much Obliged, Jeeves'', Jeeves informs Wooster that he has destroyed the eighteen pages, anticipating that he will never leave the latter's employment. Jeeves's first name of Reginald was not revealed for 56 years, until the penultimate novel in the series, ''Much Obliged, Jeeves'' (1971), when Wooster hears another valet greet Jeeves with "Hullo, Reggie." The readers may have been surprised to learn Jeeves's first name, but Wooster was stunned by the revelation "that he had a first name" in the first place.〔"'Hullo, Reggie,' he said, and I froze in my chair, stunned by the revelation that Jeeves's first name was Reginald. It had never occurred to me before that he had a first name." (Wooster about Bingley greeting Jeeves, in ''Much Obliged, Jeeves'', chapter four.)〕〔In the 1937 film ''Step Lively, Jeeves'', Jeeves, portrayed by Arthur Treacher, states his first name to be Rupert. However, Wodehouse had nothing to do with the script of that film, and Treacher's Jeeves character is so unlike Wodehouse's Jeeves that the viewer could easily believe him to be a different Jeeves altogether.〕 Only once in the Wodehouse canon does Jeeves appear without Wooster: ''Ring for Jeeves'' (1953), in which he is on loan to the 9th Earl of Rowcester. The novel was adapted from Wodehouse's play ''Come On, Jeeves'', which Wodehouse felt needed a more conventional ending, although he was unwilling to marry Wooster off. Richard Usborne, a leading scholar of the life and works of Wodehouse, describes Jeeves as a "godlike prime mover" and "master brain who is found to have engineered the apparent coincidence or coincidences".〔''Wodehouse at Work to the End'', Richard Usborne 1976.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Jeeves」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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