“Jerome at the BBC”: Subversion, caricature, and humanity in Three Men in a Boat
VIEW FULL TEXT HERE

Keywords

Three Men in a Boat
Jerome K. Jerome
BBC
Tom Stopard
Tim Curry
Michael Palin
Stephen Moore
Robinson Crusoe
Sherlock Holmes
James Bond

How to Cite

Sehmby, D. S. (2014). “Jerome at the BBC”: Subversion, caricature, and humanity in Three Men in a Boat. The European Journal of Humour Research, 2(2), 32–53. https://doi.org/10.7592/EJHR2014.2.2.sehmby

Abstract

Through characters who openly express distress over imagined pains, “Jerome at the BBC” treats BBC’s Three Men in a Boat as a playful critique of heroic masculinity, or what the paper defines as confident cognisant agency. Airing in 1975, BBC’s adaptation is released after the media ascension of James Bond and in the heyday of tough Hollywood heroes, bold figures who refuse to complain about, let alone give in, to physical pain – unlike Jerome’s men. Jerome’s original and its BBC adaptation are layered comical texts. By channelling Jerome’s critique of the colonial, seafaring male into contemporary notions of the Hollywood-hero type, this paper examines the BBC film’s boisterous lack of masculine agency, the quiet parody of action sequences, and the gingerly movement towards a conclusion that does not bang, but whimpers. Moreover, the paper asserts that the humour also functions on a less grand level, by being an effective caricature of human behaviour – a healthy dose of cultural self-mockery. Furthermore, through revealing moments, by the telefilm’s end, the characters do not simply remain caricatures to be laughed at, but become identifiable and relatable human beings.

https://doi.org/10.7592/EJHR2014.2.2.sehmby
VIEW FULL TEXT HERE

References

Anderson, B. (1991 [1982]). Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. New York: Verso.

Berry, C. (1994). The Idea of Luxury: A Conceptual and Historical Investigation. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Defoe, D. (1975 [1719]). Robinson Crusoe. Edited by Shinagel, M. New York: W. W. Norton and Company.

Erickson, R. A. (1995 [1982]). ‘Starting over with Robinson Crusoe’, in Bloom, H. (ed.), Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, New York: Chelsea House Publishers, pp. 51–73.

Frears, S. (1975). Three Men in a Boat. Great Britain: British Broadcasting Corporation.

Hoxha, T. M. (2011). ‘The masculinity of James Bond: Sexism, misogyny, racism, and the female character’, in Weiner, R., Lynn Whitfield, B. & Becker, J. (eds), James Bond in World and Popular Culture: The Films are Not Enough, Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 191–203.

Hunter, J. P. (1966). The Reluctant Pilgrim: Defoe’s Emblematic Method and Quest for Form in Robinson Crusoe. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.

Jerome, J. (1982 [1889]). Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog). Annotated and introduced by Matthew, C. & Green, B. London: Pavillion Books.

Kasson, J. F. (2001). Houdini, Tarzan, and the Perfect Man: The White Male Body and the Challenge of Modernity in America. New York: Hill and Wang.

Kimmel, M. S. (2005). The History of Men: Essays in the History of American and British Masculinities. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Mansfield, H.C. (2006). Manliness. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Novak, D. A. (2011). ‘A literature of its own: Time, space, and narrative mediations in Victorian photography’, in Colligan, C. & Linley, M. (eds), Media, Technology, and Literature in the Nineteenth Century: Image, Sound, Touch, Farnham, Surrey, England & Burlington, VT, USA: Ashgate Publishing, pp. 65–90.

Rogers, P. (1979). Robinson Crusoe. London: George Allen and Unwin.

Scheick, W. J. (2007). ‘Going to find Stanley: Imperial narratives, shilling shockers, and Three Men in a Boat’. English Literature in Transition: 1880-1920 50 (4), pp. 403–414.

Sekora, J. (1977). Luxury: The Concept in Western Thought, Eden to Smollett. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.

Stepan, N. (1982). The Idea of Race in Science: Great Britain, 1800-1960. London: Macmillan Press.

Watson, H. F. (1966 [1931]). The Sailor in English Fiction and Drama: 1500-1800. New York: AMS Press.

Zackel, F. (2000). ‘Robinson Crusoe and the ethnic sidekick’. Bright Lights Film Journal 30. http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/30/crusoe1.html.

Abrams, J. J. (2009). Star Trek. United States: Spyglass Entertainment and Bad Robot Productions.

Annakin, K. (1956). Three Men in a Boat. Great Britain: Romulus Films

Campbell, M. (2006). Casino Royale. Great Britain: Eon Productions.

Cutts, G. (1933). Three Men in a Boat. Great Britain: Associated Talking Pictures.

Edwards, B. (1964). Pink Panther. United States: Mirisch Company.

Friedkin, W. (1971). French Connection. United States: 20th Century Fox.

Garfield, B. (1974). Death Wish. United States: Paramount Pictures.

Hunt, P. (1969). On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Great Britain: Eon Productions.

Landis, J. (1986). Three Amigos!. United States: Home Box Office Films.

Lucas, G. (1973). American Graffiti. United States: American Zoetrop and Lucasfilm.

Nimoy, L. (1987). Three Men and a Baby. United States: Walt Disney Studios.

Parks, G. (1971). Shaft. United States: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Phillips, T. (2009). The Hangover. United States: Legendary Pictures.

Roach, J. (1997). Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. United States: New Line Cinema.

Sanderson, C. (1920). Three Men in a Boat. Great Britain: Artistic Films.

Shadyac, T. (1994). Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. United States: Warner Bros.

Siegel, D. (1971). Dirty Harry. United States: Malpaso Productions.

Zemeckis, R. (2000). Castaway. United States: Twentieth Century Fox.

Beowulf: A Verse Translation. (2003 [10th C]). Translated by Alexander, M. London: Penguin Books.

Burroughs, E. R. (2008 [1914]). Tarzan of the Apes. Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/78.

Doyle, A. C. (2011 [1892]). The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1661.

Haggard, H. R. (2005 [1885]). King Solomon’s Mines. Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2166.

Homer. (2003 [VIII BC]). The Iliad. Translated by Fagles, R. & Knox, B. New York: Penguin Books.

Homer. (1999 [VIII BC]). The Odyssey. Translated by Palmer, G. H. New York: Dover Publications.

Jerome, J. (2006 [1914]). Three Men on the Bummel. Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2183.

Jerome, J. (1891 [1885]). On the Stage and Off: The Brief Career of a Would-Be Actor, Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/onstageandoffbri00jeroiala.

Jerome, J. (1993 [1886]). Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow. Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/849.

Lees, J. A. & Clutterbuck, W. J. (2011 [1882]), Three in Norway. Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/36597.

Roosevelt, T. (1920). An Autobiography. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

Stanley, H. M. (2004 [1872]). How I Found Livingstone: Travels, Adventures, and Discoveries in Central Africa. Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5157.

Stanley, H. M. (2012 [1890]). Through the Dark Continent: Or, the Sources of the Nile, around the Great Lakes of Equatorial Africa and Down the Livingstone River to the Atlantic Ocean. World Digital Library. http://www.wdl.org/en/item/7770/.

Swift, J. (2011 [1726]). Gulliver’s Travels. New York: Penguin Books.

Voltaire. (2005 [1762]), Candide, or The Optimist. London: Penguin Books.

Climax!. (1954–1958). A. Barr, M. Manulis & B. Windust (Prod.). Columbia Broadcast System, TV Series.

MacGyver. (1985–1992). J. Rich (Prod.). American Broadcasting Company, TV Series.

The Simpsons. (1989–Present). M. Groening & J. L. Brooks (Prod.). 20th Century Fox Television, TV Series.

South Park. (1997–Present). T. Parker & M. Stone (Prod.). Comedy Central, TV Series.

Survivor. (2000–2013). M. Burnett (Prod.). Columbia Broadcast System, TV Series.

All authors agree to an Attribution Non-Commercial Non Derivative Creative Commons License on their work.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.