Books |
A Butler’s Life
Kimberly Allen
By
Published: Jan 01, 2006
Category:
Non Fiction
Jeeves is no more. He served so well for so long that I really don’t think of that search engine as "Ask" — to me, it will always be "Ask Jeeves." So comforting, that. In the rough-and-tumble wilderness of the Internet, here was one gent who knew only the correct way to do things, and did his job that way, and always had a nice word and a deep bow for you.
Did Jeeves get old? Apparently. I never saw him lose a step, or drop a tray, or fail to have a fire lit in the library in the evening. But you know how it is these days — it’s just kids, kids, kids. Jeeves with an iPod? Jeeves cavorting in MySpace.com? Jeeves mixing Mojitos? No, the gent was AARP material, and so his corporate masters stripped him of his gloves and monkey suit and sent him into retirement.
Butlers are stiff-upper-lip types, and Jeeves wouldn’t want me to play sad songs on my violin for his fare-thee-well. "Just an e-mail on occasion," he told me. "And maybe you’ll pop in for tea now and again."
Count on it, my good man.
As Jeeves would be the first to point out, the old order passes to make way for the new. And we definitely could use some fresh blood in the butler trade — there are positions going begging. Some pay $125,000 a year, which isn’t bad for a job that also provides free room and board in a lovely house in a pleasant climate.
In honor of Jeeves — oh dear, I almost called him "old Jeeves" — I’ve gathered a bunch of books about Butlers, both to entire and educate. Amuse? Well, if you must. But if truth be told, the real joke is on the Masters, some of whom couldn’t find the door without their faithful servants.
The place to start is, of course, with the PG. Wodehouse stories, Life With Jeeves: The Inimitable Jeeves, Very Good, Jeeves!, and Right Ho, Jeeves. For those who have never had the pleasure, these feature Bertie Wooster, an English gent, and his wise and faithful Jeeves. Those who love these stories — and there are many — would warn you that they are wet-your-pants funny. Consider yourselves warned.
A more recent novel is The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro. This is the story of a sorrowful, late-life education: Stevens has been a butler for three decades, all serving Lord Darlington. His behavior is flawless. Darlington’s is not. Has Stevens labored all these years for nothing?
A Butler’s Life: Scenes from the Other Side of the Silver Salver, by Kimberly Allen, is a biography of Christopher Allen, a butler at the top of the field. There’s plenty of glamour here, but there’s also discretion. And, along the way, you get a good idea what the job entails.
Finally, there is Butlers & Household Managers: 21st Century Professionals, a no-nonsense how-to guide for those who are seriously thinking of chucking a ridiculous office job and entering this venerable profession. All well and good, and a worthy testament to my friend Jeeves.
