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When news had reached me through well-informed channels that my Aunt Agatha for many years a widow, or derelict, as I believed it is called, was about to take another pop at matrimony, my first emotion, as was natural in the circumstances, had been a gentle pity for the unfortunate goop slated to step up the aisle with her - she, as you are aware, being my tough aunt, the one who eats broken bottles and conducts human sacrifices by the light of the full moon.

P. G. Wodehouse#144

HumorFamilyFearMarriage

About this quote

What does it mean?
A hyperbolic expression of pity for a man marrying a feared aunt, highlighting her terrifying nature through absurd imagery.
In plain terms
I felt bad for the man marrying my scary aunt.
What can you take from it?
Absurdity highlights emotional stakes in comedy.

Where it applies

  • storytelling
  • family drama
  • wedding planning

Putting it to work

  • use humor to cope
  • warn friends

Questions to consider

  • How do you cope with family drama?
  • Is fear ever amusing?

Another view

It trivializes genuine family dynamics with exaggeration.

More from P. G. Wodehouse

  1. We exchanged a meaning glance. Or, rather, two meaning glances, I giving him one and he giving me the other.

    Permalink to quote #143
  2. Breakfast had been prepared by the kitchen maid, an indifferent performer who had used the scorched earth policy on the bacon again.

    Permalink to quote #145
  3. There was a sound in the background like a distant sheep coughing gently on a mountainside. Jeeves sailing into action.

    Permalink to quote #142

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