English Literature

Jerome K. Jerome the author of � Packing � claims to be an expert and efficient packer. He boasts, �Packing is one of those many things that I feel I know more about than any other person living.� A close reading of the story proves him to be a worse packer. The author finds the boots outside after he has packed and strapped the bag. He opens the bag and packs the boots in. A �horrible idea� invades him the moment he is about to close the bag. He turns everything out of the bag to check if he has packed his toothbrush. After searching the bag with a fine-toothed comb, he finds the toothbrush inside a book. The he repacks the bag only to find that he has packed his tobacco pouch in it. Then he has to re-open the bag and repacks it once again. Such a careless manner of packing the bag bears evidence to the fact that the author is an inefficient packer.   Click here for more English literature study notes      

Next to the author Jerome K. Jerome , George and Harris is Montmorency, a funny character in the story � Packing � taken from �Three Men in a Boat� . Adding to the intensity of fun in the story are the amusing activities of Montmorency. Montmorency is a very ambitious dog. Meddling with the affairs of others and being sworn at is his chief ambition in life. He aims to be a perfect nuisance by driving people mad. When things are thrown at him head, he feels that he has made the most of his day. He wants others to stumble over him and rebuke him steadily for an hour. Even when George and Harris are packing the hampers, Montmorency makes a mess of things by putting his leg into the jam, worrying teaspoons, and spoiling the lemons. He is the dog born with the original sin in him, according to the author Jerome K. Jerome.     Click here for more English literature study notes    

The story �Packing� by Jerome K. Jerome is full of fun and amusement from beginning to end. But the butter episode is the most amusing as it tickles our ribs and makes us laugh to death.  The episode starts when George treads on the butter, gets it off his slipper and tries in vain to put it into a kettle. Then George puts the butter down on a char and Harris sits on it and it sticks to his buttocks. The situation becomes funny when they find the butter disappeared from the chair and start looking for it all over the room. Both Harris and George are surprised at the mysterious disappearance of the butter from the chair. Suddenly, George gets round at the back of Harris, finds the butter there to his utter amazement. Adding to the fun, Harris begins to spin round himself to notice where the butter is at his back. George makes a roar and asks Harris to stand still. At last, they get the butter off and pack it in the teapot.  So, it is no exaggeration to describe the butter epi...