Topper | Suggested Reading

Topper Related Titles

The success of Topper prompted Smith to produce a sequel, Topper Takes a Trip (1931). The scene is shifted from New York to the Riviera, and Topper has almost reverted to his old respectable self. The novel is more episodic than Topper, and the encounters with authority and the sexually suggestive comic scenes do not enhance the contrast between respectability and playful high spirits as they do in the earlier novel. Topper also has the unique experience of cuckolding a ghost, for he commits "adultery" with Marion Kerby's ghost, even though he is constantly being pursued by the vengeful ghost of George Kerby. The novel is "framed" like Topper, in that Topper, in the opening and closing chapters, is gazing out of the window of his apartment on the Riviera.

The characters of Turnabout (1931) are somewhat more complex than in Smith's other satirical novels. Sally Willows is...
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