Summary of Three Men In A Boat : Chapter 1

Three Men in a Boat is a novel by Jerome K. Jerome which was first published in 1889. It has been prescribed in the CBSE syllabus of Class 9th, and comes in all board exam of English. As per the CBSE pattern, 2 5 mark question will be coming from the novel Three Men in A Boat.

Introduction

The novel Three Men in A Boat, was first published in 1889. The novel is based on a fictional story of three London friends who take a boat trip up the River Thames, from Kingston(Thames) to Oxford. 

The novel is a first person description of events, narrated by ‘J.’ (Jerome), whose friends are George, William Harris and Montmorency, the dog.

Summary of Chapter 1 of Three Men in A Boat

The book opens with three young English men sitting idle, smoking and talking about their health. In the first chapter, the three friends are described as hypochondriacs, and they all decide that they are ill, even though there is almost nothing wrong with them. The narrator describes the various illnesses he has had, and says that the only illness that he doesn't have is housemaid's knee. 

So, one day, the narrator goes to his doctor and explains him about his condition. The doctor prescribes a hearty diet and exercise, and tells him not to stuff up your head with things you don't understand. J. (narrator) jokes that the prime symptom of his current illness is a general disinclination to work of any kind. 

After this, all the friends, have food, and then decide that the main reason of the illness is overwork. So they all decide to go on a holiday.

Summary in Short

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 fortnight’s 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.