Quote:
Originally Posted by gmw
Okay, so we think we know why they read so much of this stuff back in the 1920s etc. What's our excuse? 
 |
"Economic misery seemed never-ending....."
I think that there is always room for fiction where the characters don't have to worry about finances.
I don't think that this is the only reason that people seem to like stories with competent people looking after upper-class employers who couldn't do without them (such as Jeeves and Wooster, Alfred and Bruce Wayne, Frodo and Sam....). Some of the servants I've read about hardly seem to be in need of pity; a decent salary (as defined by one's needs), the chance to enjoy one's hobby and caring for someone who badly needs you seems like the ideal life for a certain type of person (Jeeves certainly seems to enjoy his life ).
Another reason may possibly be enjoyment of the idea that those upper-class people would starve, have a nervous breakdown, be married off to a scary woman, succumb to evil or otherwise be unable to cope left to their own devices.
Or it may be enjoyment of the romanticized view of a household with servants where all parties care deeply for each other and make their own contributions to the well being of everyone in the household.