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The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow & Three Men in a Boat
Idle Thoughts Of An Idle FellowIdle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, published in 1886, is a collection of humorous essays by Jerome K. Jerome. It was the author’s second published book and it helped establish him as a leading English humorist.Three Men in a BoatThree 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 boating holiday on the Thames between Kingston and Oxford.-from wikipedia
Paperback
Published January 1, 2007
About the author
Jerome K. Jerome
897 books1,471 followersJerome Klapka Jerome was an English writer and humorist, best known for the comic travelogue Three Men in a Boat (1889). Other works include the essay collections Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow (1886) and Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow; Three Men on the Bummel, a sequel to Three Men in a Boat; and several other novels. Jerome was born in Walsall, England, and, although he was able to attend grammar school, his family suffered from poverty at times, as did he as a young man trying to earn a living in various occupations. In his twenties, he was able to publish some work, and success followed. He married in 1888, and the honeymoon was spent on a boat on the River Thames; he published Three Men in a Boat soon afterwards. He continued to write fiction, non-fiction and plays over the next few decades, though never with the same level of success.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 19, 2024
This is a collection of light, late 19th century occasional pieces that self-mockingly style themselves as serious-minded essays, titling themselves ‘On Being Idle’ or ‘On Furnished Apartments’. Their tone is what I’d suggest is that of polite drawing room comedy crossed with flourishes that would not be out of place in a music hall.
Jerome K. Jerome is, of course, well known for ‘Three Men in a Boat’, so the idle fellow’s ‘essays’ exhibit much the same quality of humour that delights in the ridiculous as is found in a boat on the Thames, and, as Jerome was an actor, they would work well read aloud/performed, I think. Reading them silently, however, I found a bit tedious and it often felt as if he was filling column inches. Nevertheless, I thought them worth bashing through if only for one or two thoughts and observations that I found close to my heart. I quote a few below as tasters for potential readers.
“New furniture can make a palace, but it takes old furniture to make a home.”
“By-the-way, we never eat anybody’s health, we always drink it. Why should we not stand up now and then and eat a tart to somebody’s success?”
“Love is too pure a light to burn long among the noisome gases that we breathe, but before it is choked out we may use it as a torch to ignite the cosy fire of affection.”
And I specially liked his ‘essay’ ‘On Cats and Dogs’ in which, among other things, he portrays his kitten Tittums who is ‘about the size of a penny roll, as frightening his overplayful dog Gustavus Adolphus, who sounds as if he must have been a red setter, by sitting on the top stair and ‘swearing like a medical student’ at him.
On the other hand, look out for his attitude the women. Whether it is tongue in cheek or basely pandering to the presumptive male of the day, it is almost always patronisingly gallant. After a while, I couldn’t help feeling he meant it seriously, though he must have come across plenty of thespian women who gave as good as they got and kept him in his place or who, in turn, smiled patronisingly on his foolishness.
Jerome K. Jerome is, of course, well known for ‘Three Men in a Boat’, so the idle fellow’s ‘essays’ exhibit much the same quality of humour that delights in the ridiculous as is found in a boat on the Thames, and, as Jerome was an actor, they would work well read aloud/performed, I think. Reading them silently, however, I found a bit tedious and it often felt as if he was filling column inches. Nevertheless, I thought them worth bashing through if only for one or two thoughts and observations that I found close to my heart. I quote a few below as tasters for potential readers.
“New furniture can make a palace, but it takes old furniture to make a home.”
“By-the-way, we never eat anybody’s health, we always drink it. Why should we not stand up now and then and eat a tart to somebody’s success?”
“Love is too pure a light to burn long among the noisome gases that we breathe, but before it is choked out we may use it as a torch to ignite the cosy fire of affection.”
And I specially liked his ‘essay’ ‘On Cats and Dogs’ in which, among other things, he portrays his kitten Tittums who is ‘about the size of a penny roll, as frightening his overplayful dog Gustavus Adolphus, who sounds as if he must have been a red setter, by sitting on the top stair and ‘swearing like a medical student’ at him.
On the other hand, look out for his attitude the women. Whether it is tongue in cheek or basely pandering to the presumptive male of the day, it is almost always patronisingly gallant. After a while, I couldn’t help feeling he meant it seriously, though he must have come across plenty of thespian women who gave as good as they got and kept him in his place or who, in turn, smiled patronisingly on his foolishness.
February 3, 2016
Some astute thoughts; streets should have electric lighting, the Newfoundland dog is vain, it is best to call a new-born baby "angel" to prevent insult when it's sex cannot be determined. Funny, but would have been more enjoyable in a fictional account as I found the thoughts rather rambly. Three Men in a Boat is very funny.
December 11, 2014
This is a guy who didnt take himself too seriously and in doing so said many serious simple matters beautifully.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews