Part 2. Analytical reading

2.1. Unit One. “Three Men in a Boat”

TASK 1. Read Jerome’s biography and answer the questions after it

Jerome k. Jerome

(1859-1927)

In the history of English literature Jerome K. Jerome occupies a modest place. He cannot be compared with Dickens, Thackeray or Bernard Shaw, but he is well-known as a writer-humorist not only in his country but in other countries too. Jerome Klapka Jerome was born in Walsall, Staffordshire, on May 2, 1859 in the family of a ruined businessman. Jerome’s childhood was poor and sad. He left school at 14 and worked variously as a clerk, a hack journalist, an actor and a schoolmaster. The boy had to work to support his family because his father died in 1871. In his free time Jerome tried to write. He wrote plays, stories and articles, but nothing was published. His first book “On the Stage and Off” was published in 1885 and this was followed by numerous plays, books and magazine articles. In 1889 a collection of his articles was published under the title “The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow”. This book became very popular in England and it was published 105 times in 4 years.

On June 21, 1888, Jerome married Georgina Elisabeth Henrietta Stanley Marris, nine days after she divorced her first husband. Their honeymoon took place on the Thames, a fact which was to have a significant influence on his next, and most important work, “Three Men in a Boat”.

Jerome sat down to write this book as soon as the couple returned from their honeymoon. In the novel, his wife was replaced by his longtime friends George Wingrave (George) and Carl Hentschel (Harris). This had allowed him to create comic and non-sentimental situations which were nevertheless intertwined with the history of the Thames. The book, published in 1889, became an instant success and has remained in print until the present. Its popularity was such that the number of registered Thames boats went up 50 per cent in the year following its publication, and it contributed significantly to the Thames becoming a tourist attraction. In its first 20 years alone, the book sold over a million copies worldwide. It has been adapted to movies, TV and radio shows, stage plays and even a musical. Its writing style influenced many humorists and satirists in England and elsewhere. Its endurance can probably be attributed to the style and choice of a relatively unchanged location, which prevents the work from appearing dated.

With the financial security the sales of the book provided, Jerome was able to dedicate all his time to writing. He wrote a number of plays, essays and novels, but was never again able to recapture the success of “Three Men in a Boat”

He went traveling all over Europe and in 1899 he visited St.Petersburg, where he was met with enthusiasm. He knew Russian literature very well.

He died in 1927 and was buried in the beautiful churchyard of Ewelme, Oxfordshire, not far from the River Thames.

1. What facts of Jerome’s life, in your opinion, influenced his literary works most?

2. Write a shortened version of Jerome’s biography (about 50 words).What facts do you think must be included in it and what can be left out?

3. Can we say that Jerome lived a long and fruitful life? What makes you think so?