The History of Pompey the Little

by Francis Coventry, Nicholas Hudson (Editor)

Pompey the Little, the canine narrator of this story, is a uniquely observant and witty guide to eighteenth-century culture, both high and low. In the course of the novel Pompey is passed from owner to owner, offering a panoramic vision of English and European societies in the period. Written with sparkling irony, The History of Pompey the Little is an important example of an “it-narrative,” or a narrative written from a non-human perspective; this genre allows the novelist to move between levels of society and to observe human behaviour from an outsider’s perspective. The rich selection of historical documents in the appendices to this Broadview edition includes a similar narrative told by a cat, along with other writings on eighteenth-century attitudes towards animals.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, 18th Century, British Literature, Dogs, School

276 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1751

Reviews

[Ellie Kidger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deeply satirical and witty, this is a novella for those who already have a good amount of knowledge of the 18th century. The edition I have included lots of helpful footnotes, explaining bits of language or references that would have been more accessible back when it was published. It's very conscious about its status as satire, and uses literary tropes to maximise its impact.
One thing I loved in particular is the use of the phrase Booby Squire. It means uncouth gentleman, but I can see myself using it on a day to day basis!

[Laurie Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Irritating use of capital Letters for all Nouns as popular at the Time. Not so much the Black Beauty story I anticipated as a description of characters encountered throughout the dog's life. Good detail of period lifestyles, but arduous reading.

[Garrett Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A difficult entrance into the 'it' story. Without context of the 18th century, not much of this will make sense.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

truly bonkers and maybe the most misanthropic book I’ve ever read

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't hate this. (Right, that's a strong way to start off a review.) It's slow going, to be honest, and I'm not the best with eighteenth-century literature, but as a historical document it's fascinating. Coventry's book was the first to really focus on an animal and elevate him to the status of hero. Along the way, there are some philosophical things (do animals have souls? will they go to heaven?) as well as discussions of animals as property. I didn't care for many of the human characters, but then again, it's the eighteenth century.

I should've seen the ending coming, because it ends as many stories about dogs do, but I felt unexpectedly sad. (He dies. The dog dies. If you don't like books where the dog dies, avoid this one.) I was rather attached to little Pompey at the end, which surprised me.

Not something I'd recommend on a plot basis, but definitely something to consider if you're interested in historical depictions of animals, or if you are really into the eighteenth century. (GIVE ME MY VICTORIANS.)

[Lindsey Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first "it" narrative I had ever read. It's, theoretically, from the point of view of a spaniel (dog) who moves about England being exchanged from owner to owner. His voice is lacking, however, and readers are left with social commentary and satire on the part of Coventry as well as lengthy ramblings seemingly from his point of view about English society and novels in general.

I felt unsatisfied after reading this, though there were particular "episodes" that were much like farces and absolutely hilarious. Pompey likes to pee on random things (like a philosophy book) and he is instrumental in tricking a college student into thinking that he has a bastard son when out pops Pompey. I appreciated those scenes.

In effect, I found Pompey to be nothing more than a narrative tool employed by Coventry to survey the English social scene of the 18th century (of all classes).

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard for me to take the satire seriously in this novel, since I glorify and anthropomorthize dogs so much routinely. There are parallels to be drawn between this and slave narratives such as Oroonoko that are narrated by a third person. Pompey is the character who ties the tale together but the narrative is seldom narrated from his perspective--rather, he unites a series of character portraits, all of which tend to reveal the contingent position of dogs in eighteen century society and dramatize the life of diffent class positions throughout that society.

[Kendra Brubaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pompey the Little was the first it-narrative I've ever read. I enjoyed and appreciated it to an extent. While I thought the story was going to be about a dog, it was more about the owners he had (really how many owners can one dog have... it's sad). If you decide to read Pompey you really see how humans take animals as objects and property. Disheartening, Pompey never really finds a home... but then again it was never about Pompey. He's only a tool used by Coventry to get a different perspective about humans out into the world.

[Adam Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Pompey the Little’ is obviously a first novel and doesn’t reach the heights of a ‘Tom Jones’ or a ‘Tristram Shandy’ but there is much good about it. I think the success of the book lies in a statement made right at the beginning in the dedication to Henry Fielding. ‘The characters of a novel principally determine its merit’. I believe this is the case today and was the case then, and on those merits ‘Pompey the Little’ succeeds admirably.

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

A comment on social illness in the 18th century and the supposed cure created by coffee houses, all while following the more so unfortunate adventures of a lap dog...