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The book opens with three young English men sitting idle, smoking and talking about their health.Their names are George, William Samuel Harris, and J., the author and narrator. Montmorency, aterrier, is also present. On the subject of health, J. admits he is something of a hypochondriac. Everyailment he hears about or reads about in an advertisement for patent medicine seems to fit his

symptoms perfectly. He has gone to his doctor, he explains, who prescribes a hearty diet andexercise, and tells him not to "stuff up your head with things you don't understand" (p. 5). J. jokesthat the prime symptom of his current malady is "a general disinclination to work of any kind" (p. 5).

After a meal and some more general complaining about their health, the three decide they need achange for a week or so. They reject the idea of a sea...

Thr ee Men in a Boat(To Say Nothing of the Dog) by Jerome K. Jerome was first published in 1889. It is the

fictional story of three London friends and a dog taking a leisurely boat trip up the River Thames, from

Kingston-upon-Thames to Oxford. It is narrated by J., whose companions are George (awarded no surname),

William Samuel Harris and the dog, Montmorency.

During a sociable evening in J.s room, the three men convince themselves that they each have various

illnesses. Their collective diagnosis is overwork, and they prescribe themselves a fortnights holiday. A stay in

the country and a sea voyage are both ruled out, and they settle instead on a boating trip, travelling on the

Thames by day and camping out in the hired boat at night.

They set out the following Saturday. George must work in the City in the morning, and so arranges to join them

later that day. The other two, accompanied by the dog and a mountain of luggage, get a cab to Waterloo

station, but are unable to find the correct train to Kingston. Eventually they bribe the driver of another train to

take them there instead, one of the many humorous set-pieces that make the book more than a straightforward

travelogue. George completes the trio at Weybridge, with a dubious-looking parcel tucked under his arm, which

turns out to be a banjo and instruction book.

The story is a tapestry of incidents that occur, anecdotes on various topics (including the unreliability of weather

forecasts), loosely connected digressions (such as J.'s uncles inability to hang pictures), and descriptive

pieces on the places that they pass. It is in these descriptive pieces that the authors original intention of writing

a guidebook is most apparent. What he actually achieved was a classic of British humorous writing. Although

the book was written over a century ago, it has an enduring, timeless quality.

If you want to write a story, what would be the initial steps which you may want to follow? There should be aplot, characters, linear or non linear narration, connects events and characters with plot ---- well, I am not

elaborating the technique of story writing. Whenever I come across a novel that cannot be fit into any of theseconstraints but yet demand your attention, transcends the constraints of time and space; there we relish

alternate literary experience . A gourmet and literature lover got something common to share. They espy inunison to have alternate experience . They are open to experimentation.

At any given point of time, I go withD H Lawrence, Joyce, Sartre, Tolstoy, Chekhov, & Dostoevsky . Butagain, those powerful journalistic dossiers from Orwell , fight against odds by Hemmingway , spine chilling

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tales by Conan Doyle , rib tickling tales ofWodehouse all of them provide the variety which we are lookingfor.

I vividly remember a small chapter from Jerome K Jerome Novel in high school. The title was Cheeses ofLiverpool . Three gentlemen and a dog rowing across Thames with their fancy cum abhorrence regarding thecheese was the central theme. Well, this chapter always ignited laughter riot in the class. Well, I got an urge toread the bookThree men in a boat (To say nothing of the Dog) . It flowed like a gentle stream. Less than

200 pages was the main attraction. Quite simple narration of events, apt humor and at the same time engagesyou till the end. After so many years, I read the story again and started laughing like a toddler. There is

something more to what I have experienced before years. Might be, this book offer something novel when yougrow old and isnt that we consider as classic piece of literature? Well, it is not a classic as per the literary

definition but yet retain a class of its own.

You have three hypochondriacsMr. J (Could be Jerome himself), George (a real life character who was aBarclays Bank Manager) andHarris (another real life character, Carl who is a pioneer in London Printing

Business). Not forgetting the most sensible dog (compared to other gentlemen) Montmerency who was thesilent spectator to the antics of these men.

J is leading a torpid life style (same for other gentlemen) who started reading a book on diseases and suddenlystarted realizing that he is having the symptom of almost all diseases that has been detailed in the book. He

wonders, the doctor might pass away before he complete the list of maladies he got. It is impossible him for to

complete the catalogue of a medicine without identifying himself to be the victim of that disease for which themedicine is prescribed. He realized that he is a victim of all diseases ranging from Typhoid to St. Vituss

dance . Thankfully, he is not having the symptom ofHouse Maids knee. Same goes with other twogentlemen.

How well Jerome put across the psychosomatic disorder or the stress related syndrome of city life before ahundred years with the tinge of humour! A topic of great relevance in twentieth century which Jerome

conceptualized in1889.

Together three gentlemen jaunted up for Thames camping skiff along with the dog Montmorency. Not manyhave noticed that it was a spoof on the English Mans attitude (in the wake of colonial era) where in they want a

silent and loyal spectator to their ventures. Take a bow on this point blank shot.

From here, the flavor of the story is giving way to that of a travelogue with great deal of information about the

various points in Thames ranging from Magnacarta Island, Hampton Court Palace etc. One would evenwonder whether he intended to write a travel guide.

While we read the story giving our full attention; we will come across the ribald humour sense of Jerome.

To quote a few

At first these gentlemen decided to go for a sea voyage but developed cold feet.Wow, British men afraid ofsea and ventured into river voyage. Does that indicate the imminent downfall of British Empire?

Difficulty in spotting the train in Waterloo StationA classic spoof on the renowned Victorian Architecturewhich is aesthetically appealing but not user friendly.

HypochondriacsSignify the miseries out of gluttony, the cardinal sin. Their worry is uncalled for and the way

in which they handle the same is also outlandish. Also, keeping a silent dog in their company, they might betrying to pacify the inflated ego but he emerge as the most sensible among the four living beings in the boat.

In short this book has got something for all sorts of readers. It is a story without plot or a focused story line.Jeromes narration is similar to that of Wodehouse but again, he is not focused like Wodehouse in

characterization and building the plot. It is the commotion of unrelated events, mishaps, arguments; charactersconnected by common string but still are diverse. Read it for fun, to develop serious food for thought or at least

as a travelogue.