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Performing Flea

Performing Flea is a non-fiction book, based on a series of letters written by P. G. Wodehouse to William Townend, a friend of Wodehouse's since their schooldays together at Dulwich College. It was originally published in the United Kingdom on 9 October 1953 by Herbert Jenkins, London. The title alludes to a disparaging comment by the playwright Seán O'Casey, who, in a letter to The Daily Telegraph in July 1941, referring to Wodehouse's radio broadcasts from Berlin, wrote that "If England has any dignity left in the way of literature, she will forget for ever the pitiful antics of English literature's performing flea". The letters are introduced and annotated by Townend, who had provided Wodehouse with the story that inspired his character Ukridge. The letters were, in some cases, heavily revised by Wodehouse for the collection with the goal of making them more entertaining. The United States version of the book, titled Author! Author!, was published on 20 June 1962 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York. It was substantially reworked, with commentary by Wodehouse replacing much of Townend's contribution.

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Article summary

Performing Flea is a non-fiction book, based on a series of letters written by P. G. Wodehouse to William Townend, a friend of Wodehouse's since their schooldays together at Dulwich College. It was originally published in the United Kingdom on 9 October 1953 by Herbert Jenkins, London. The title alludes to a disparaging comment by the playwright Seán O'Casey, who, in a letter to The Daily Telegraph in July 1941, referring to Wodehouse's radio broadcasts from Berlin, wrote that "If England has any dignity left in the way of literature, she will forget for ever the pitiful antics of English literature's performing flea". The letters are introduced and annotated by Townend, who had provided Wodehouse with the story that inspired his character Ukridge. The letters were, in some cases, heavily revised by Wodehouse for the collection with the goal of making them more entertaining. The United States version of the book, titled Author! Author!, was published on 20 June 1962 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York. It was substantially reworked, with commentary by Wodehouse replacing much of Townend's contribution.

Key claims

  1. publication date: 1953-10-09 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. publication date: 1962-06-20 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the publication date is "1953-10-09". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the publication date is "1962-06-20". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.