Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)

Summary

Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog), published in 1889, is Jerome K. Jerome's comic account of a boating holiday on the River Thames, and it has remained in print ever since. The narrator, J., and his friends George and Harris, three young London clerks, decide that they are overworked and suffering from every disease in the medical dictionary except housemaid's knee. They resolve to rest by taking a two-week trip up the Thames from Kingston to Oxford in a rowing boat, accompanied by J.'s fox terrier, Montmorency. The book was originally meant to be a serious guide to the river's history and scenery, and passages about Magna Carta at Runnymede, Hampton Court maze, old inns and churchyards remain, but they are constantly interrupted by comic anecdotes and digressions. J. recalls Uncle Podger hanging a picture and wrecking the house, the difficulty of packing, the struggle with a tin of pineapple and no opener, a disastrous Irish stew, and the misadventures of Harris singing comic songs he cannot remember. The friends quarrel over who does the work, and J. confesses that he likes work: it fascinates him, and he can sit and look at it for hours. They camp in rain, sleep badly, fight with towlines and other boats, and meet anglers who boast of fish that turn out to be plaster. There is a sad moment when they find the body of a drowned young woman in the river, a reminder of the hard lives of the poor. At last, soaked and miserable on a rainy evening, they abandon the boat at Pangbourne, take the train back to London, and enjoy a good dinner. Jerome's light, ironic style, his mock-serious tone and his gift for the absurd influenced many later comic writers. The book suits readers from middle school upward and is an excellent introduction to English humor.

Plot or Argument

• The plan

  J., George and Harris decide they need rest and plan a river trip.

• Packing and setting out

  The comedy of packing and the start from Kingston.

• Up the river

  Hampton Court, Runnymede and digressions on history, inns and fishing.

• Return

  Rain and misery end the trip at Pangbourne; they return to London.

Characters

• J., narrator

  A comic young man prone to imaginary illnesses.

• George, friend

  A bank clerk who sleeps at the bank.

• Harris, friend

  A cheerful, self-confident friend fond of drink and song.

• Montmorency, dog

  J.'s mischievous fox terrier.

• Uncle Podger, J.'s uncle

  A man who turns every job into chaos.

Lessons

• The art of digression

  Jerome wanders from story to story. Students can study how digressions create comedy.

  • How many stories within stories can you find?
  • Why does Jerome interrupt his history passages?
  • What makes a digression funny?

• Comic exaggeration

  Jerome exaggerates ordinary domestic troubles until they become comic set pieces.

  • How does the Uncle Podger story build?
  • What everyday problems does he make funny?
  • Why do readers still laugh?

• Friendship

  The three friends argue but enjoy one another's company.

  • How do the friends show affection?
  • What do they argue about?
  • What makes a good travel companion?

Context

Boating on the Thames became a popular summer holiday for London clerks and shop workers in the 1880s, crowding the river with rowing boats and steam launches.

Composition

Jerome based the book on trips with his friends George Wingrave and Carl Hentschel; it was serialized in Home Chimes and published in 1889.

Reception

Critics thought it vulgar, but it sold more than a million copies; Jerome followed it with Three Men on the Bummel (1900).

Comparisons

• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

  Twain's comic river adventures of boyhood.

• Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

  Another river journey with humor.

Quotes

For Students

A reading companion for classical Christian high school students. See the student guide.

Reading Guide

Watch for

• The list of diseases in Chapter I.
• Uncle Podger hanging a picture.
• The tin of pineapple.
• Harris and the comic song.
• The trip's end at Pangbourne.

Key terms and names

Hypochondria

Constant, groundless worry about one's health.

Digression

A departure from the main subject.

Lock

A gated section of river where boats are raised or lowered.

Towline

A rope used to pull a boat from the bank.

Seminar Questions

1. Comprehension Why do the friends take the trip?
2. Comprehension Who is Montmorency, and how does he behave?
3. Comprehension How does the trip end?
4. Interpretation Why did Jerome include serious passages?
5. Interpretation Which episode is funniest, and why?
6. Big Question Why do people need rest and laughter?

Faith Connections

• Proverbs 17:22 (Scripture)

  A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.

• Ecclesiastes 3:4 (Scripture)

  A time to weep, and a time to laugh.

Logic and Rhetoric

Central argument: Ordinary life, seen with comic exaggeration, is full of absurdity, and friendship makes its troubles bearable.

Rhetorical device: bathos. A lofty historical reflection collapses into a joke about the boat or the dog.

Debate: Resolved: that the river trip was a failure.

Memory Work

I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.

Writing Prompts

Essay: How does Jerome mix history and humor?

Comparison with The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: Compare Jerome's river trip with Huck Finn's journey down the Mississippi.

Creative Prompts

• Fiction

  Write a comic account of a family trip using digressions.

• Essay

  What makes Three Men in a Boat funny?

• Classroom

  Trace the route of the trip on a map of the Thames.

Further Reading

• Three Men on the Bummel, Jerome K. Jerome