Wodehouse, Jellyfish and Lord Emsworth

There is a quote that goes around the internet: “Lord Emsworth, whose IQ may be some thirty points below that of an absent minded jellyfish...”

It appears over and over in the context of P. G. Wodehouse's book Lord Emsworth Acts for the Best, also published as Blandings Castle and Elsewhere (1935). 

The confusing matter is that the quote only appears on the cover of that otherwise excellent collection of short stories. Inside there is not a single jellyfish. It is a spectacularly jellyfish free book. If you ever wanted a book without any mention jellyfish, this is the book for you.


However, Wodehouse really has a comparison of Lord Emsworth and jellyfish, but that appears in his novel Full Moon (1947). In this book, Lord Emsworth's brother, the Hon. Galahad describes the lord:

‘I have been closely associated with my brother Clarence for more than half a century, and I know him from caviare to nuts. His I.Q. is about thirty points lower than that of a not too agile-minded jellyfish.'

Later on in the book, the narrator describes their sister, Lady Hermione Wedge:

But the formidable woman seated behind the teapot was a different proposition. Here, beyond a question, danger lurked. You might not admire Lady Hermione Wedge as you would admire Helen of Troy, or the current Miss America, but there was no gainsaying her intelligence. It would have to be an exceptionally up-and-coming jellyfish which could even contemplate challenging her I.Q.

I hope this has settled the question for everyone who is a fan of Wodehouse, Lord Emsworth and jellyfish.