Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow by Jerome K. Jerome is a collection of essays which are definitely not going to put readers to sleep, for all of them are so rich with kind-hearted humor that it is next to impossible to tear a gaze away from them . There is no doubt that Jerome K. Jerome is a master of cl ever remarks and comical plots and this set of stories proves it to us. However, it would be a mistake to consider the essays to be just jokes written for amusement of people. If anything, this book could be a valuable addition to the For Dummies series. It would enlighten its readers about philosophy of life.
What is the main lesson a reader should learn from the essays? First of all, our expectations differ from reality. It is true that this advice is not but new the majority of people keep forgetting it. The narrator recollects the times when he fell ill. Back then, he thought it could be a wonderful chance to be lavished with love, attention, the most delicious food, a company of the most beautiful women and what not. However, reality proved to be different. He had to drink mineral waters instead of eating sweets and there wasn’t any crowd of girls to entertain him. That was the moment when he realized that people’s imagination had been created in such a way so that it could play some rather nasty tricks on us. To avoid bitter disappointments, don’t let your dreams to carry you away from reality. It is important to mention that the narrator doesn’t try to persuade readers to stop dreaming at all, for, frankly speaking, a life without dreams could be so dull that it would unbearable for some people to survive. The narrator emphasizes the importance of being in touch with reality.
One more extremely valuable lesson is that “ no luxury in real grief .” How often do we complain about something during a day? More often than not, complains prevail over expressions of happiness and gratitude. Some of us have forgotten that to be in a bad mood is a natural thing and has nothing to do with genuine misery. The narrator explains his point of view in such a way , “ we do not to y with sharp swords nor hug a gnawing fox to our breast for choice .” Isn’t he right? It is a reminder for all of us to cherish happy tims , for if real grief comes, it might be difficult not only to find something good in a life but live. So, let’s be happy while we can, for no one knows what is going to happen tomorrow. Let’s not toy with swords and hug gnawing foxes.
