Teaching Jerome K. Jerome

[LitTeach]

Dear All:
I have decided to teach Three Men and a Boat next year to my grade 12 English Literature class. Does anyone have any suggestions or pieces of advice on what works with students? I adore this novel and had the opporunity of reading it in Oxford some years ago. My students are North American and my fear is that they will not understand the comedy of the antics.

[sean wiles]

I reckon if you stick to the bits about human failures and frailties, like uncle Podgers attempts to put up a picture , or the wonderfull observations about the man who proudly covered up his beautifull oak paneling with wallpaper, you should be ok. After all, surely we are the same the world over in our human weaknesses, which Jerome found so amusing, and hopefully, your students will appreciate also.
Once they have understood his wry view of the human race, I expect they will  come to  enjoy the whole thing. And , maybe, even their own failings  and  weaknesses!
good luck!

[Jairam]

More power to your elbow, LitTeach, but can humour really be taught? I somehow feel that we ought to be teaching the more serious stuff and let the students dip into humour on their own.  Just thought they would enjoy it more that way. Didn't somebody say that analysing Wodehouse is taking a spade to a souffle?  Or maybe it is just the way we were taught here many decades ago that made the whole process a bit stuffy. Here's to a hilarious class!

[Frank]

Responding to Jairam's wondering whether humour really can be taught - I suppose so, if you work at analyzing it to find out why it is works.  How about comparing Three Men in a Boat to George and Weedon Grossmith's Diary of a Nobody?

[Berties Dad]

Hi LitTeach. I've been nagging my son's school, the American International School in Genoa, for the past two years to look at introducing Three Men in a Boat. I belive it would be enormously useful - especially in an International school, where many pupils' first language is not English.

Any book which can help get children readin FOR FUN is worthwhile. And whilst it certainly is entirely valid to study "world literature" (and I entirely support this aspect, which brings in the big Russians, the French and books from so many culutures)something such as 3 Men, which expounds such extraordinary qualities of basic English Language should also be on the sylabus.

At a meeting just this week, the English teacher told me that she was getting into the Russians and was teaching Crime & Punishment - to 9th 10th grade, I believe. Wow. I'd have though Prince Myshin a better subject than Raskolnicov for teenagers but wouldn't they benefit from a little of George, Harris and J.

Please let me know how you got on and if you have any advice you could pass on.