J
Jerome Klapka Jérôme
An English writer and humourist who led a very complex life (Wikipedia).
Three Men in a Boat
Synopsis
Martyrs to hypochondria and general seediness, J. and his friends George and Harris decide that a jaunt up the Thames would suit them to a ‘T’. But when they set off, they can hardly predict the troubles that lie ahead with tow-ropes, unreliable weather-forecasts and tins of pineapple chunks – not to mention the devastation left in the wake of J.’s small fox-terrier Montmorency. Three Men in a Boat was an instant success when it appeared in 1889, and, with its benign escapism, authorial discursions and wonderful evocation of the late-Victorian ‘clerking classes’, it hilariously captured the spirit of its age.
Genres
Characters
J. (Jerome)Protagonist
The story's narrator and a self-diagnosed hypochondriac; his conviction that he is overworked and unwell is what sets the Thames boating holiday in motion.
George (Three Men in a Boat)Supporting
One of J.'s two travelling companions on the river trip; a bank clerk who joins the outing late and is known for sleeping in.
Harris (Three Men in a Boat)Supporting
J.'s other companion on the boat: boorish and hot-tempered, but always keen for food, drink, or an argument.
Montmorency (Three Men in a Boat)Supporting
J.'s excitable fox-terrier, whose fights with other dogs and general mischief supply much of the book's comedy.
Uncle Podger (Three Men in a Boat)Cameo
The subject of the book's best-known comic digression, a well-meaning relative whose attempt to hang a picture turns into a chaotic, hours-long family ordeal.
Frequently asked questions
Is Three Men in a Boat based on a true story?
It's semi-autobiographical. The narrator, J., stands in for Jerome K. Jerome himself, while George and Harris were based on two of his real friends, George Wingrave and Carl Hentschel. The book actually began as a serious travel guide to the Thames, but the comic anecdotes and asides Jerome added took over and became the whole point.
Is there a sequel to Three Men in a Boat?
Yes. Jerome K. Jerome reunited J., George and Harris for Three Men on the Bummel (1900), which sends the trio on a cycling tour through Germany's Black Forest instead of a boat trip up the Thames.