The Little Nugget - Classic Text | Alexandria
Among P. G. Wodehouse's early yet significant contributions to comedic literature stands "The Little Nugget," a novel that masterfully blends elements of school story, crime caper, and romantic comedy. First published in 1913 by Methuen in the UK and W.J. Watt & Company in the US, the work emerged during a pivotal period in Wodehouse's career when he was transitioning from boys' school stories to more sophisticated adult fiction.
The novel centers around the attempted kidnapping of Ogden Ford, the titular "Little Nugget" - a wealthy and thoroughly obnoxious American boy attending Sanstead House School in England. The narrative unfolds through the perspective of Peter Burns, who takes a position as assistant master at the school while secretly planning to kidnap Ogden for financial gain. This duplicitous premise sets the stage for a complex web of competing kidnappers, romance, and Wodehouse's characteristic wit.
Originally serialized in Munsey's Magazine (September 1913) under the title "The Nugget," the story represents a fascinating bridge between Wodehouse's earlier school stories and his later sophisticated comedic works. The novel showcases early versions of themes that would become Wodehouse hallmarks: imposters, romantic entanglements, and the British school system's peculiarities. The character of Ogden Ford, in particular, stands as one of Wodehouse's most memorable child characters, notorious for his cunning and manipulation.
The work's enduring influence can be traced through subsequent school story genres and crime comedies, though it remains somewhat overshadowed by Wodehouse's later Jeeves and Blandings series. Modern readers continue to discover its charm, finding particular resonance in its satirical treatment of wealth, education, and Anglo-American cultural differences. "The Little Nugget" serves as a fascinating study in Wodehouse's developing style, demonstrating his evolution from a competent writer of school stories to the master of comic fiction he would become.