AUTHOR- JEROME

K.JEROME
• Jerome Klapka Jerome (2 May 1859 –
14 June 1927) was an English writer
and humorist, best known for the comic
travelogue Three Men in a Boat(1887).
• Other works include the essay
collections Idle Thoughts of an Idle
Fellow(1886) and Second Thoughts of
an Idle Fellow; Three Men on the
Bummel7, a sequel to Three Men in a
Boat (Packing for the journey); and
several other novels.
 CHARACTERS

J- Narrator Harris George Montmorency

 CHARACTER SKETCHES
• Jerome
This person is the narrator of the book and is a young, single, middle-class
man living in London. A funny and lively man who treats everything as a
joke, lives life the way it takes it to. He has no practical thinking. He just
tries to do everything the way he is asked. He has a dog named
Montmorency. He loves food and hates work….!
• Harris
This person is a young single character with a fondness for drink. At one
point, this person manages to get fairly drunk one night and imagines
being attacked by swans. He is a nostalgic person, does whatever he wants.
He doesn’t care about the people around, is keen at his own decisions. He
seems to love music but people hate his singing.
• George
This character is a bank clerk who works on Saturdays. It is this person’s
idea to take the river trip. He has a practical approach to the life, is mature
enough to be, experimental good cook.
 SUMMARY
• THREE MEN IN A BOAT, published in 1889, is a
humorous account by Jerome K. Jerome of a boating
holiday on the Thames between Kingston and
Oxford. 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
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 seem fresh and witty even today.
 CHAPTER-1
George, William Samuel Harris and the narrator, Jerome, were all suffering
from various diseases. George and Harris recount their tales of woe, of the
apparent one hundred and seven fatal illnesses that they are afflicted with,
and while they do praise the giant leaps in medical knowledge and the
prescriptions that are offered by doctors, they come to the conclusion that
they are all terribly overworked and need a holiday of sorts to help them
recuperate. They first proposed a sea voyage, but Jerome is far from
thrilled by that idea. So they finally agree to take a boat trip for a holiday-
on the river Thames, from Kingston upon Thames to Oxford. Jerome still
enlists problems of a boat trip that he was aware of, but the motion was
finally passed, in three to one majority- their dog, Montmorency had voted
against the boat trip.
 CHAPTER-2
Now that they had already decided to go on the boat trip to rid
themselves of all their tensions, they had to figure out what
course they should take and where all they should visit . And as
was expected, all three of them digress from the immediate job
at hand and start discussing the pleasure of camping expeditions
and the sheet joy of camping under the clear sky of fine nights;
and then they soon go on to discuss the joy of camping out
under raining nights as well. Montmorency’s first impressions
are available through their discussions and otherwise.
Montmorency was of the astute belief that he was indeed too
superior for the world- but then his so called fears are soon
washed away . The meeting to discuss their travel details is
immediately after adjourned.
 CHAPTER-3
The author says that the following evening, the three friends at
down together and discussed at length their plans for their
upcoming holiday in a boat. After comparing Harris’s method of
working to the tale of Uncle Podger, the author goes on to
describe how Harris took charge of the entire situation himself
and the plans for the trip were finally made. George too chips in
into the discussion with some sensible and thought provoking
suggestions. And soon the group go on to discuss the benefits
and the pleasures of bathing in the first few hours of morning,
particularly since they all would be on the boat for the next few
days. And finally the three men made all kinds of provisions to
make sure that neither of them got upset during the holiday.
 CHAPTER-4
Now that the basic arrangements for the trip had been done and finalized, the
question regarding what they should eat during their boat ride holiday came
up. They began by eliminating paraffin oil as the medium of preparations,
claiming that the scent of the oil would spread through the entire boat, making
it impossible for them to breathe easily. Of the commodities, the three men
discuss the advantages and the disadvantages (the cons being the same as that
of the paraffin oil) of cheese as a travelling companion on such travels. As they
continued their discussions, more provisions were added to make sure that
none of the friends got upset during their travels. The author starts up packing
their belongings, talking at the same time about the choice of toothbrushes
needed for the trip. George and Harris, too get their packing done for the trip.
Montmorency displays some troubling behavior during the same time. Finally,
after a tough and tiring day, the three men retire to take some rest.
 CHAPTER-5
The author is woken up by the housekeeper the next morning at nine,
three hours later than when George had been instructed to wake
them up-only that George was fast asleep even after the author wakes
up Harris. Before leaving, the author makes a statement about the
weather forecast, claiming them to be completely bogus. As three
men assemble with their baggage as the street with their bags, people
make fun of the sheer enormity of their baggage-quite as if they were
planning for a visit to Africa. The crowd starts to grow. The men
finally reach Waterloo station, and the South Western Officials there
too are amused and concerned about the amount of baggage carried
by the three men. However, all runs smoothly from then on and the
men are finally able to float around in their boat as was planned.
 CHAPTER-6
The holiday begins with the arrival of the three men, and their
dog to Kingston. The author takes up the beginning of this
chapter in recounting the history of Kingston as known of
the histories of England. The author draws several
observations on life in the past and in the present. That the
author believes is the principal paradox of life. Which is
when he talks about the case of Stivvings, his friend from
school, and how he always revived the opposite of what he
was looking for.
There is also a sight of embarrassment to the author in this
chapter, when he loses focus of the fact that he was indeed
steering the ship. However, the results of the blunder are
quite advantageous as it brings them to the Hampton Court
Maze. Harris immediately assumes the role of the guide.
 CHAPTER-7
This chapter begins with the author painting a rather vivid picture of the river on
a Sunday, right till he starts describing Harris’s complexion and thereby, the
colors that he was most suited to wear. And seeing the brightly colored
gentry all flocking around the banks of the river that Sunday, the three men
decided to join the populace on land. Harris, of course, is immediately
described as the one with the poor taste in fashion and class. George too had
an unique incident with his blazer, which the author describes in great detail.
They spend the day with the young lady who the author describes to be well-
versed in the logic of styles and fashion. the three men spend quite some
time at Mrs. Thomas's tomb, after which they also met a strange man who
had a strange distrust for graves, coffins and skulls.
The author claims that with the advent of the day, Harris starts to loose his
mind and go berserk, and he also provides the readers with his views on
George, banks and also on a lemonade, which was in abundance that
Sunday. And finally Harris starts performing tricks a little later, like a mad
man.
 Chapter-8
The two boys then stopped at Kempton Park to have their lunch.
There, a gentleman came across to inform them that they were
trespassing. But seeing Harris, a well-built man, he turned back
never to be seen again. They both felt aggressive towards the
landowners who made their earnings by blackmailing the Weak
person. Harris feels that he is a good comic singer but the
author reminds him of various past incidents where his comic
singing ended either in making fool of himself or turning a
tragic song into a comic one. The two then passed along many
places- Sunbury, Walton, Oakland Park and Shepperton.
When they approached Weyvirdeg bridge they met George.
 Chapter -9
George is put to work although he is reluctant to do it.
He was handed a towline without any further
resistance. This chapter is full of incidents about
towlines. George tows the boat up to Penton Hook.
They are tired but decide to move on. They were
aiming to reach Walling Ford Lock before dark. But
the Lock seemed to have disappeared. Finally a
group of singers informed them that the Lock had
been removed a year ago
 Chapter-10
They all reached Staines and are very exhausted.
So they decided to have a supper but George feels
that it would be better to have the Canvas cover up
first as it would hardly take any time. But the
process took a lot of time and after about half an
hour of hard work they settled down to have their
supper. They seemed to enjoy their meal and then
went to sleep around ten. Before they slept they
shared jokes and funny incidents with each other.
 Chapter-11
The author and George get up early the next morning.
George narrates an incident because of which he usually
gets up late. The talked with each other and woke up Harris
too. All four look out of the Canvas to see if they could bath
but the water was too cold. The author fall into the water
accidently and pretends to enjoy the swim. Harris decides
to cook the breakfast who thinks himself to be an expert in
cooking. The friends approach the Magna Charta Island.
The
author is moved back into another reverie, going back to
the middle ages.
 Chapter No.-12
As the three men get up the next morning, they decided to go out in
search of the exact place where king John supposedly signed the
Magna Charta. They also come across whatever remains of this little
priory, where it was believed that King Hengry VIII courted Anne
Boleyn. This leads George and the author to discuss the probability of
being in the same house as two lovers. George believed that in such a
house, one tended to always run into the lovers, leaving All
embarrassed at once. This George believes also to be the situation
with King Henry VIII and Lady Boleyn. Soon they are back sailing
and they sail by the town of Datchet. The author and George
reminisce about an earlier boating trip, where they had come down to
Datchet and found any place available to spend the night. Soon they
go off on the time when Harris had decided to end his life, when an
angel came along and convinced Harris otherwise. The incident with
the mustard is also discussed
 Chapter No.-13
The three men arrive at Marlow and after a brief description of the place,
the men have their bath and get ready to spend rest of their day. The
author then makes mention of how Montmorency chase after a cat,
and also mentions an incident he remembers of a dog fight, and a
woman who stalled the fight between the Montmorency and the cat
does not take place, with what the author supposes was a threat issued
to Montmorency by the cat.
They move out from Marlow, and are stalled for while because of the
water log caused by a streamer. Finally the men decided to do their
shopping for food provisions. There is also the incident when they go
to shore to ask the settler there for water, but they are informed that
the people have always drank water from river-which the three men
refuses. While sailing they also spot a peaceful looking dog standing on
the banks. Finally, the author concludes the chapter by claiming how
Harris escapes along with a pipe.
 Chapter No.- 14
After passing through Wargrave, the three men arrive at Sonning, where they first
decide to take a little stroll and then get down to make Irish Stew for supper. After a
lot of callousness, supper is prepared- when Montmorency brings in a dead river-rat
in his mouth, almost as is offering to share his food. This proposal is then discussed
by the three men.
There is also the incident where Montmorency has a grueling fight with the tea-kettle,
because of which the author remarks, that Montmorency was quite vary of kettles
till date. George decides to begin his Banjo lessons, but they are met with a poor,
even disastrous response. George’s attempts to learn banjo reminds the author of a
friend who wanted to learn the bagpipes many years later, but met with the same fate
as George.
Harris felt sad and somewhat tired after supper, so the author and George decide to go
for a stroll. Soon they forget their path and confuse the island they were on. After
some trying moments, they finally come back to rejoin Harris, all hungry and wet. A
groggy Harris tells them that he had a fight with a fleet of swans, and was not
victorious till the very end.
George and the author never realize whether Harris was speaking the truth or making
up a tale- For Harris seemed to be having difficulty in sleeping all through night.
 CHAPTER-15
This chapter starts with the three men cleaning up
around the boat and their eating items after breakfast
that morning. As they decide to row the boat instead
of towing it that day, the discussion boils down to who
should be doing what. Then the author goes on to talk
about how he was one who loved to work and also
speaks of the various encounters they all had while
boating and how they all started boating in the first
place.
 CHAPTER-16
• The chapter like the previous has hardly anything to offer in
terms of the story of the three friends out on their pleasure
trip. There, is however, a brief reference to some of the
historical events related to the historically famous Reading.
Through this chapter, you also come to know a little bit
about the stately beauty of the ancient places like Streatly
and Goring. While reading it, the writer would equally
plunge you into some kind of morbid thinking about the
woman who is said to have committed suicide. She was
thought to have sinned in all things-both in living and in
dying before deciding to end her life. Of course, there is
once again, a reference to shirking of work by George and
Harris, and the irritating behaviour of small boats getting in
the way of their steam-launch every now and then.
 CHAPTER-17
• Having stayed for two days at Streatly, the friend party moved on. But
before they left, they got their dirty clothes washed by a professional
washer-woman by paying her a lot of money without doing any
murmur. Earlier, they had tried to wash them on their own. But
instead of cleaning them, they made them all the more dirty as they
had washed them in dirty water of river between Reading and Henley.
The writer then talks of the neighbourhood of Streatley and Goring as
a great fishing centre. It is in this connection that the writer tells us
about the ‘art of angling’ and the secret about the accomplished
fishermen saying, ‘no accomplished angler would scorn to tell a lie
about his haul.’ In support to this statement, he shares one fishy story
about a huge trout that the three friends happened to see. On
enquiring about its catch and its author, four different fishermen took
the credit of catching that trout who themselves, with different about
the trout every time, which were finally found to be total lie as this
trout was discovered to be made of plaster of Paris and not the
genuine one as they were made to think of.
 CHAPTER-18
• The chapter begin with the three friends journey from Streatly to
Culham where they sleep under the canvas at night. The absence of
any lock from Cleve for about six and a half miles make the writer
express his views on the need for having the continual locks, especially
from pleasure-seeking navigations. He also shares a horrible
experience of having him and George photographed one summer
morning at Hampton Court. The writer also talks about the
picturesque neighbourhood from Wallingford to Dorchester and from
Abingdon to Nuneham Courteney, recommending them as worth
visiting places to the readers. In the lighter vein, he also cautions about
the pool under Sanford lasher as a drowning –prone spot. Then the
writer talks of the demoralizing the effect of the river air which makes
even the most sublime and peace-loving person violet using blood-
curdling language to the fellow navigators who come in their way of
easy movement.
 CHAPTER-19
• The three pleasure-seeking friends start on their homeward journey
after spending two pleasant days at Oxford. They hire a very old boat.,
which the seller called, ‘The Pride of Thames’, much against their liking
for a very high price-thirty five shillings-which they could have easily buy
for just four-and-six pence at any sale of driftwood round the coast.
They start off in the midst of a steady drizzle. During their journey
back, they face ceaseless rains creating a melancholic environment and
a pensive mood. They are so much upset at these disastrous rains that
they go to the extend of imagining all sorts of nasty things, including
fatal diseases and mishaps to them. In order to change their mood of
gloominess, they request George to give them some comic song , he
plays a very sad song that makes them al the more sad and cry in
silence. They also try to while away their long hours of wait and torture
by playing some card game, but even that does not cheer them up.
Somehow, they try to pick up the courage to face all that which they
found too difficult to bear. Finally, the rain stops and they relax both
physically and mentally. They have a little supper with a carefree mind,
followed by a small thanks giving and toast to ‘Three men well out of a
Boat’ by Harris and endorsed by Montmorency in its own language.
 CREDITS
• Avni
• Mannica
• Khushi
• Suhani
• Pakhi