Passing of the Third Floor Back

Jerome K. Jerome’s story Passing of the Third Floor Back takes place within the Board of Mrs. Pennycherry, in Bloomsbury. The main character is “a stranger” who brings to this secondrate board kindness and generosity. People living in this board and the owner are all characterized by extreme curiosity about this stranger, so different from them; they are used to always talk bad about everything and everyone. Mrs. Pennycherry will be the first to be affected by the personality of this stranger who awakens in her a dormant generosity that does not belong to her. All characters will be changed by this presence, they can see the meanness in them and cannot help but feel ashamed of themselves. We can see the guest house inhabited by these mean characters through the eyes of this stranger, who makes them smart, honest and kind. The departure of the stranger from this board occurs only when it seems that all people have undergone a change for the better.

Keywords: Passing of the Third Floor Back, Jerome K. Jerome, Faligi