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Wodehouse uses dogs and flowers to symbolize the clichéd sentimentality that is expected of female novelists in the story. When first describing Egbert’s job as an assistant editor frequently tasked with interviewing female novelists, the narrator specifically notes that Egbert “had watched them being kind to dogs and happiest among their flowers”—in his mind, moments that serve to epitomize their silly emotionality in comparison with more serious (and, it’s clearly implied, male) authors. Egbert despises these novelists because of this tendency toward romance and lack of originality. Dogs and flowers appear again at the end of the story when Egbert interviews his ex-fiancée, Evangeline, whom he views as lacking any literary talent whatsoever. In this scene, however, Egbert is the one who brings up both objects in his questions, and Evangeline provides the expected responses without seeming very interested. This suggests that it is Egbert himself who projects certain stereotypes onto the female novelists he despises; he doesn’t consider the possibility that they might have something more interesting to say about their writing, and instead falls back upon a distinctly sentimental line of questioning. By employing this symbol in two different contexts, Wodehouse shows that sentimentality is not an intrinsic trait of women writers but rather an expectation created by social convention and popular literary tastes.
Dogs and Flowers Quotes in Best Seller
The Best Seller quotes below all refer to the symbol of Dogs and Flowers. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Best Seller Quotes
For six months, week in and week out, Egbert Mulliner had been listening to female novelists talking about Art and their Ideals. He had seen them in cosy corners in their boudoirs, had watched them being kind to dogs and happiest when among their flowers. And one morning the proprietor of The Booklover, finding the young man sitting at his desk with little flecks of foam about his mouth and muttering over and over again in a dull, toneless voice the words, “Aurelia McGoggin, she draws her inspiration from the scent of white lilies!” had taken him straight off to a specialist.
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Egbert has to interview female novelists as part of his job, which he considers an onerous task. These authors aren’t very original, as far as Egbert is concerned; all of the interviews revolve around the same few sentimental clichés. Their fascination with dogs and flowers, in particular, is emblematic of the way they conform to a gendered stereotype. The effect of the interviews on Egbert’s health obviously is exaggerated, and the narrator’s tone is tongue-in-cheek. However, his boss takes his overwrought reaction seriously and takes him to a specialist. In this world, then, men’s feelings are treated seriously even as Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dol
“Oh, quite,” said Evangeline. “I will send out for a dog. I love dogs—and flowers.”
“You are happiest among your flowers, no doubt?”
“On the whole, yes.”
“You sometimes think they are the souls of little children who have died in their innocence?”
“Frequently.”
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When Egbert is assigned to interview his ex-fiancée, he doesn’t ask about her writing. Instead, he asks a series of trite personal questions. He specifically prompts her to say something about how much she loves dogs and flowers—the same sentimental clichés that he claims to abhor. Egbert’s leading questions show that he has already decided how Evangeline will answer based on his preconceptions about female novelists; he doesn’t give her an opportunity to talk about anything that would challenge his negative view of women writers. Evangeline obligingly provides the expected answers to his questions, but she doesn’t seem very interested, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. C
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Dogs and Flowers Symbol Timeline in Best Seller
The timeline below shows where the symbol Dogs and Flowers appears in Best Seller. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Best Seller
...of whom want to talk about “Art and their Ideals” and how much they love dogs and flowers. This task would take “its toll on the physique of all but the...
(full context)
...it. He begins his interview with a series of standard questions: “Are you fond of dogs, Miss Pembury?” “You are happiest among your flowers, no doubt?” She provides the expected answers...
(full context)
