Analysis on ''Three men in a boat''

Analysis “Three men in a boat”

Stage 1 - Understanding the Content

Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog), published in 1889, is a humorous account by English writer Jerome K. Jerome of a two-week boating holiday on the Thames from Kingston upon Thames to Oxford and back to Kingston. The book was initially intended to be a serious travel guide, with accounts of local history along the route, but the humorous elements took over to the point where the serious and somewhat sentimental passages seem a distraction to the comic novel. One of the most praised things about Three Men in a Boat is how undated it appears to modern readers – the jokes have been praised as seeming fresh and witty even today.

Jerome Klapka Jerome (2 May 1859 – 14 June 1927) was an English writer and humorist. He was famous for writting essays, short stories, and novels. Especially, he was famous for his special humor, all his stories were based on that sparkling manner of writting.

The story "Three men in the boat" by Jerome K.Jerome presents that three men with a dog stayed at the village. The action centers after their decision to stay at one of the shiplake islands for a night. Then, they decided to make a supper, using all the ingredients and remains of food they have. The initial paragraph shows how they'd finished cooking. The last paragraph describes that they've enjoyed an excellent supper.

The themes of the story are:

1. nature;

2. friendship;

3. enjoyment of life;

4. happiness;

5. humour;

6. a walk around Sonning;

7. a fascinating idea of making Irish Stew.

The major theme is a trip, and it's topical in nature. Other themes are of minor importance.

The main idea is to get out of one's routine and experience life with friends.

The main idea is given through the characters’ actions, events, speech, etc. The characters do their best with the help of each other. Two heads better than one head.

Stage 2 - Understanding the Form

1. The title gives us allusion that the characters are represented by three males.

2. The text consists of two parts: the descriptions of Sonning and the events, which are happened with the characters.

  The text can be divided into four parts:

a.) the exposition occupies first two passages: the description of Sonning and a walk about the village.

b.) the complication. an idea of cooking an Irish Stew.

c.) the development of the plot. Starting to prepare the ingredients for cooking.

d.) the climax. Peeling the potatoes and the discussion about adding the water-rat into the stew.

e.) the falling action is not peresented in the given passage.

f.) the denouement. Enjoying the result.

3. The story takes place in the end of 19th century. The action is set at Sonning, a picturesque village on the bank of the Thames. The author describes the scenery, namely, a fairy-like nook of Sonning, where the main characters got out. 

4. Jerome presents his story as 1st-person narration with descriptive passages.

5. The main characters are:

J. The narrator of the novel, most likely based on Jerome himself. J. has a dog named Montmorency, and two friends, George and Harris. He sees himself as intelligent, hard-working, and competent, but his behavior in the novel suggests otherwise. Like his friends, J. is a hypochondriac.

George. A good-natured banker, and one of J.'s best friends. Of the three men, he is portrayed as the only one who is seriously dedicated to his job. He brings a banjo on the boat trip and tries to learn how to play it.

...