Lady Florence Craye is a recurring fictional character who appears in

P. G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse ( ; 15 October 1881 – 14 February 1975) was an English writer and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Je ...

's comedic

Jeeves Jeeves (born Reginald Jeeves, nicknamed Reggie) is a fictional character in a series of comedic short stories and novels by English author P. G. Wodehouse. Jeeves is the highly competent valet of a wealthy and idle young Londoner named Bertie W ...

stories and novels. An intellectual and imperious young woman, she is an author who gets engaged at different times to various characters, each failing to perform a difficult task for her or to meet her high standards. She is one of the women to whom the hapless

Bertie Wooster Bertram Wilberforce Wooster is a fictional character in the comedic Jeeves stories created by British author P. G. Wodehouse. An amiable English gentleman and one of the "idle rich", Bertie appears alongside his valet, Jeeves, whose intellige ...

repeatedly finds himself reluctantly engaged, a situation from which he must be rescued by Jeeves.

Prototype

An early version of Florence Craye appears in the

Reggie Pepper Reginald "Reggie" Pepper is a fictional character who appears in seven short stories by English author P. G. Wodehouse. Reggie is a young man-about-town who gets drawn into trouble trying to help his pals. He is considered to be an early prototyp ...

story " Disentangling Old Percy" (1912), in which Florence has the same domineering personality. She has two younger brothers who are both old enough to be married, one ten years younger than she is, Edwin, and the other sixteen years younger than she, Percy (or Douglas). This early Florence appears to be a prototype for the later character, since in the Jeeves stories, Florence is a young woman, and Edwin, her only known sibling, is a young boy.

Life and character

Being the daughter of Percy Craye, Earl of Worplesdon, Lady Florence Craye is the daughter of an

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...

and is therefore entitled to the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some context ...

Lady ''Lady'' is a term for a woman who behaves in a polite way. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the female counterpart of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. "Lady" is al ...

. Jeeves formally addresses her as "m'lady" and refers to her as "her ladyship", while Bertie Wooster simply calls her "Florence". She is the elder sister to the troublesome young Edwin Craye and eventually becomes the step-daughter of Bertie's Aunt Agatha.Garrison (1991), p. 54. Florence is tall and willowy, with platinum blonde hair, an attractive profile, and bright hazel eyes, but also has an imperious personality. Interested in intellectual matters, she is said by Bertie Wooster to be "steeped to the gills in serious purpose". She is an author and writes the novel ''Spindrift'', which is widely read and apparently well received, going into five editions and popular with "the boys with the bulging foreheads out Bloomsbury way", though Jeeves considers it a "somewhat immature production lacking in significant form".Cawthorne (2013), pp. 189–191. The book is turned into a play by Percy Gorringe, though the play closes after only three nights. Her first engagement mentioned in the stories is to Bertie Wooster in "

Jeeves Takes Charge "Jeeves Takes Charge" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in the ''Saturday Evening Post'' in the United States in November 1916, and in ''The Strand ...

". In the story, she wants Bertie to steal his uncle's memoirs. Initially, Bertie is attracted by her beautiful profile, but starts to have doubts about her when she expects him to read the difficult book ''Types of Ethical Theory''. She also plans to make him read

Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche became the youngest pro ...

. By the end of that story, he has realized that he finds her too overbearing and is glad that their engagement is over. He is unwilling to hurt a girl's feelings by turning her down, however, so he is in danger of becoming her fiancé again whenever she wants to renew their engagement. Florence gets engaged often in the stories, being quick to leave a fiancé if he fails in an undertaking or does not obey her wishes. At different times, she gets engaged to Bertie in "

", to Bertie and

Stilton Cheesewright The following is a list of recurring and notable fictional characters featured in the Jeeves novels and short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. Anatole Anatole is a recurring fictional character in the Jeeves stories, being the supremely skilled F ...

in '' Joy in the Morning'', to Bertie, Stilton and the playwright Percy Gorringe in ''

Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit ''Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit'' is a comic novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 15 October 1954 by Herbert Jenkins, London and in the United States on 23 February 1955 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, under t ...

'', and to Bertie and Harold "Ginger" Winship in ''

Much Obliged, Jeeves ''Much Obliged, Jeeves'' is a comic novel by P. G. Wodehouse, published in the United Kingdom by Barrie & Jenkins, London, and in the United States by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York under the name ''Jeeves and the Tie That Binds''. Both edit ...

''. It is also mentioned, in '' Joy in the Morning'', that she was once engaged to Boko Fittleworth. At one point, Bertie and his

Aunt Dahlia Dahlia Travers (née Wooster) is a recurring fictional character in the Jeeves stories of English comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being best known as Bertie Wooster's bonhomous, red-faced Aunt Dahlia. She is much beloved by her nephew, in contra ...

jokingly suppose that, since Florence has been engaged to so many people, her former fiancés form clubs and societies, and call themselves the Old Florentians. At the end of the Jeeves canon, she is not married or engaged to anyone.

Appearances

*''

Carry On, Jeeves ''Carry On, Jeeves'' is a collection of ten short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. It was first published in the United Kingdom on 9 October 1925 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on 7 October 1927 by George H. Doran, New York.McIl ...

'' (1925) **"

" (1916) *'' Joy in the Morning'' (1946) *''

'' (1954) *''

'' (1971)

''Types of Ethical Theory''

When Florence Craye is first engaged to Bertie Wooster in the short story "

", she has him read a difficult book called ''Types of Ethical Theory''. This is a real 1885 book written by philosopher

James Martineau James Martineau (; 21 April 1805 – 11 January 1900) was a British Christian philosophy, religious philosopher influential in the history of Unitarianism. He was the brother of the atheist social theory, social theorist, abolitionist Harriet M ...

, published in two volumes. Bertie provides two abstruse quotes from the book, with only a few slight changes (mostly in punctuation) from Martineau's text. First, in "Jeeves Takes Charge", Bertie provides the following quote, nearly identical to a passage in the second volume of ''Types of Ethical Theory'':

"The postulate or common understanding involved in speech is certainly co-extensive, in the obligation it carries, with the social organism of which language is the instrument, and the ends of which it is an effort to subserve."Wodehouse (2008)
925 Year 925 ( CMXXV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events By date January – June * January 5 – Gabellus becomes the first abbot of the monsastery of San Martín de Albelda in the Spanish kingdom ...
''Carry On, Jeeves'', chapter 1, p. 12.

Bertie uses this quote to illustrate Florence's intellectual and domineering nature, since she is apparently compelling him to read this work to make him more scholarly like her and expects him to finish this book within a week. In the same short story, Bertie provides the following quote, which is nearly identical to a different passage in the first volume of ''Types of Ethical Theory'', as another jarring example of the book's content which ultimately drives him away from Florence, and repeats this second quote in '' Joy in the Morning'':

"Of the two antithetic terms in the Greek philosophy one only was real and selfsubsisting; that is to say, Ideal Thought as opposed to that which it has to penetrate and mould. The other, corresponding to our Nature, was in itself phenomenal, unreal, without any permanent footing, having no predicates that held true for two moments together; in short, redeemed from negation only by including indwelling realities appearing through."Wodehouse (2008)
947 Year 947 (Roman numerals, CMXLVII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – A Principality of Hungary, Hungarian army led by Grand Prince Taksony of Hungary, Taksony campaign ...
''Joy in the Morning'', chapter 2, p. 21.

After repeating this quote, Bertie says to the reader, "Right. You will have got the idea, and will, I think, be able to understand why the sight of her made me give at the knees somewhat."

Adaptations

; Television * In the 1990–1993 television series ''

Jeeves and Wooster ''Jeeves and Wooster'' is a British comedy television series adapted by Clive Exton from P. G. Wodehouse's "Jeeves" stories. It aired on the ITV network from 22 April 1990 to 20 June 1993, with the last series nominated for a British Aca ...

'', Florence was portrayed by

Fiona Gillies Fiona Gillies (born 19 June 1966) is a British actress who has appeared in feature films, on television and the stage. Television She first appeared in the 1988 version of ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' as Beryl Stapleton. A year later she a ...

in series 3 (1992), and Francesca Folan in series 4 (1993). In this adaptation, Florence is also the niece of Sir Watkyn Bassett, which was not the case in the original stories. ; Radio * Florence was voiced by

Avril Elgar Avril Elgar Williams (1 April 1932 – 17 September 2021) was an English stage, radio and television actress. Early life and career Avril Elgar Williams was born on 1 April 1932 at barracks in Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire, England to Joh ...

in the 1958 Caedmon recording of "Jeeves Takes Charge". * In the 1973–1981 series ''

What Ho! Jeeves ''What Ho! Jeeves'' (sometimes written ''What Ho, Jeeves!'') is a series of radio dramas based on some of the Jeeves short stories and novels written by P. G. Wodehouse, starring Michael Hordern as the titular Jeeves and Richard Briers as Berti ...

'', Florence was voiced by Bronwen Williams (''Joy in the Morning'') and

Liza Goddard Louise Elizabeth Goddard (born 20 January 1950), professionally known as Liza Goddard, is an English television and stage actress, best known for her work in the 1970s and 1980s. Early life Goddard was born in Smethwick, Staffordshire.Before ...

(''Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit'').

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Craye, Florence P. G. Wodehouse characters Literary characters introduced in 1916 Fictional English people Female characters in literature Fictional writers Fictional lords and ladies