Short facts about writers and their pet dogs – and the canine figures in the works of famous authors
Fearing attacks from rivals, poet Alexander Pope rarely left his house without a brace of pistols and his dog, a Great Dane named Bounce.
One of Virginia Woolf’s first published pieces of writing was an obituary for the family dog, Shag.
The first draft of John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men was eaten by his dog, Max.
Emily Brontë’s dog, Keeper, followed her coffin to the grave when she died and, for weeks after, howled outside her bedroom door waiting for its owner to return.
Seventeenth-century writer Sir Thomas Browne disproved the myth that powdered glass was poisonous by feeding some to dogs. Thankfully, they remained unharmed.
Gertrude Stein claimed the water-drinking patterns of her dog, named Basket, taught her the difference between sentences and paragraphs in writing.
American writer Christopher Morley coined the word ‘infracaninophile’ for someone who habitually champions the underdog.
Elizabeth Gaskell wrote an 1859 story called ‘The Half-Brothers’ which features a collie dog named Lassie.
James Joyce had a fear of dogs; this is known as cynophobia.
George Eliot‘s publisher, John Blackwood, sent her a pug dog as a sort of ‘extra payment’ for her novel, Adam Bede.
If you enjoyed these literary dog facts, check out our similar post about writers and their feline friends.
Image: A nine-year-old Jack London and his dog Rollo, 1885 (author unknown), Wikimedia Commons.
Reblogged this on newauthoronline and commented:
A great post for all you dog lovers out there including myself. I particularly like, “The first draft of John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men was eaten by his dog, Max.” Hopefully the invention of computers and other storage devices precludes this from happening today …! Kevin
Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around Gertrude Stein learning how to differentiate between sentences and paragraphs by studying her dog’s drinking patterns… *Goes to lie down in a darkened room WITHOUT any form of canine company*
Reblogged this on Annabelle Franklin, Author: Messages from Millie and commented:
We dogs have always inspired our literary humans, though we do think James Joyce was silly for being scared of us. As for that Sir Thomas Browne… well, read on!
Here are ten great facts from a dog’s perspective. 1) Humans don’t give us enough credit for the help we provide in bringing their “vision” to fruition. 2) Oh . . . forget it. I’ve got a bone that I buried last week calling to me. I’ll get back to #’s 2 thru 10 at a later date.
Reblogged this on https://annabellefranklinauthor.wordpress.com/2015/08/26/10-great-facts-about-writers-and-dogs/ and commented:
We dogs have always inspired our literary humans, though we do think James Joyce was silly for being scared of us. As for that Sir Thomas Browne… well, read on!
That Gertrude Stein one is impressively bonkers!
I love to write with my dog sitting at my feet. There is something about his breathing that’s comforting. Chica, my yellow lab, is in all three of the Stone Mountain Mysteries. Farley, my wheaten terrier, makes his debut in BLAZE, the second in the series. Thanks for sharing the literary history of dogs.
Reblogged this on KRISTINA STANLEY and commented:
I couldn’t resist reblogging this one. Writers and dogs together. What could be better?
Does Danny help you type, but putting his head on your keyboard? Sometimes the typos can be atrocious, but the ideas are wonderful. Go, Danny, Go.
“The first draft of John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men was eaten by his dog, Max.” Proving, once again, that the whole world is a critic.
What about a cat that writes? Ever heard of the Life & Opinions of Tomcat Murr by ETA Hoffmann?? Brilliant! – but quite a demanding read. I can’t remember if I have something on my blog about it but I may have on Goodreads!
I hadn’t heard of that – thanks for drawing it to my attention! I’m going to seek it out right now.
Recently my dog ate part of a library book cover! :)
Writing is such a solitary profession. Is it any wonder we like to share that time with a loyal companion who won’t mention how freely we’ve made use of the adverbs? In a perfect world, when a person declares they are a writer, before they buy a book about craft or join a critique circle a person would be handed a dog (or some interactive pet).
Remember Virginia Woolf’s Flush, the story of Elizabeth Barrett Browning told from the pov of her spaniel? It is a must-read!!! Best dog story ever.
Agreed! I forgot to add that one, but it’s a terrific book. It’s also, perhaps, Woolf’s funniest!
Yeah, for Woolf it’s a barrel of laughs!
I still can’t believe that any person would have a dog phobia! WOOF…………….Dogs are cute and adorable.