The Monkey's Frolic: A Humorous Tale, in Verse — Reading Notes

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In Category - Fantasy Juvenile Worlds

Authors: Anonymous Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2010 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Children's poetry; Cats -- Juvenile poetry; Humorous poetry; Monkeys -- Juvenile poetry; Physicians -- Juvenile poetry Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 4,465

Reading time 20 min

Text sections 1

This digital edition of The Monkey's Frolic: A Humorous Tale, in Verse — Reading Notes is described by source-level measurements including 4,465 words, 20 min estimated reading time, and 1 detected text section.

The text analysis averages about 20.8 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Children's poetry,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #31486

An anonymous 19th-century verse tale in which a monkey shaves a cat, sparking a rooftop chase. The catalog subjects (children's poetry, cats, monkeys, physicians) only partially align with the text: no physician appears in the excerpts, and the moral preface about imaginary terrors is undercut by the physical comedy that follows.

Editorial Edition Score 4.4/5

★★★★★ ★★★★★

Calculated from edition completeness, EPUB availability, text structure and catalogue metadata. Not a user rating.

How this score is calculated

Description quality20 pts
Title & short description10 pts
Source metadata20 pts
Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
EPUB file integrity20 pts

Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.

Edition quality

File: pg31486

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They thought he might prove more pacific of mind, So mounted the ladder another assailer; When _Pug_, of loose tiles now perceiving a failure, Eluded the grasp of pursuit with a hop, And gained an adjacent and tall chimney-pot.

It chanced that the vent of this same chimney led Direct to a chamber, confined to his bed Where lay an old gentleman, ill with the gout, _And wishing some bad fate might thence drag him out!_ _Pug_, missing his footing, 'midst vapour and fume, That instant with _Puss_ tumbled into the room.

Grimed over with soot, they kick'd up such a rout, And caper'd the sick man's apartment about, And chatter'd and squall'd in a manner so hideous, Like young imps of darkness, that, not to be tedious, The sufferer forgot both his gout and his prayers, And scamper'd, pursued by these phantoms, down stairs!

There sat in the parlour a medical man, And thither _pursued_ and _pursuers_ now ran;-- And _Puss_ and the _Monkey_ grown fiercer and bolder, Physician and Patient seized each by his shoulder, Who raised such a yell, that the _chorus_ resembled A legion of mad-caps from Bedlam assembled!

The tumult each wonder-struck inmate alarm'd; At length on assistance they ventured, well arm'd, And entered the scene of dismay and despair,-- When, lo! no invaders of quiet were there! But Doctor and Patient lay stretch'd on the floor, Not wotting of terror a forthcoming cure.

The incident soon was of mystery clear'd,-- The owner of _Pug_ and _Grimalkin_ appear'd;-- "My _Monkey_ and _Cat_ have created alarm; I hope," he observed, "you have not taken harm:"-- Then cautiously peering the chamber about, He dragg'd, from the Chimney, both intruders out.

Alarm now gave way to good humour and fun,-- "Much harm to my friend," said the Patient, "is done; Your _Ape_ pill and potion has put to the rout, And cured me, I thank him, at once of the _Gout_." He then to the _Monkey_ made reverence profound, Who _salam'd_ politely the company round.

The _Doctor_ a lesson thus learn'd, that, despite Of physic, the Gout may be cured by a _fright_: And, since this affair, now and then on the sly In similar cases same means he will try.-- To show that no malice or envy he knew, He shook hands with _Pug_, and each party withdrew.

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The poem opens with a moral couplet advising that “terrors” are merely “ideal creation,” yet the ensuing action is entirely physical: a monkey lathers a cat’s face with soap, ties her to a chair, and drags her onto a roof. The discrepancy between the stated lesson and the slapstick narrative is the work’s most persistent feature. The anonymous author sustains a brisk anapestic meter throughout the excerpts, using exclamation points and italics to heighten the farce. The cat is named “Puss,” the monkey “Pug,” and the only human named is “Susan,” a servant who rushes in and out without intervening effectively.

Catalog Subjects vs. Textual Evidence

The Project Gutenberg catalog lists five subjects: Children’s poetry, Cats—Juvenile poetry, Humorous poetry, Monkeys—Juvenile poetry, and Physicians—Juvenile poetry. The first four are well supported: the poem is in verse, features a cat and a monkey, and is clearly humorous. However, the subject “Physicians—Juvenile poetry” has no basis in the excerpts. No doctor, medical treatment, or healing appears in the available text. The only character who might be considered a healer is the monkey, who acts as a barber—but barbering is not medicine, and the monkey’s “skill” is purely mischievous. This mismatch suggests the catalog entry may have been copied from another record or inferred from the title’s mention of a “barber,” which in the 19th century could also refer to a surgeon-barber. Readers should not expect any medical content.

Voice, Meter, and the Role of the Narrator

The narrator addresses the reader directly in the opening lines, claiming the tale is “a true one” and offering a maxim. This framing device is common in moralistic children’s literature of the period, but the narrator quickly abandons instruction for comedy. The anapestic meter (da-da-DUM) gives the verse a galloping rhythm that suits the chase. The narrator uses exclamations (“Oh, oh!” thought the Monkey) and onomatopoeia (“Mew,” “chatter’d”) to animate the action. Notably, the narrator never condemns the monkey’s behavior; the only judgment comes from the master, who fears the animals “might be maim’d.” The voice remains neutral, letting the absurdity speak for itself.

Structure and the Unresolved Chase

The excerpts break off during the rooftop confrontation, leaving the outcome unknown. The poem builds a clear three-part structure: the monkey’s barbering attempt, the cat’s escape and capture, and the chase onto the roof. Each stage escalates the violence—from lathering to tying to tile-throwing. The servant Susan functions as a comic foil, rushing in and out without solving anything. The master’s command to fetch a ladder introduces a human authority figure, but the monkey repels the servant with “loose tiles.” The excerpts end with the monkey “apparently proof” against all maneuvers. Without the full text, readers cannot know whether the animals are rescued or the monkey triumphs, but the structure suggests a cyclical farce rather than a tidy resolution.

Readers approaching this work should set aside the catalog’s physician subject and focus on the poem’s actual content: a fast-moving, morally ambiguous comedy of animal mischief. The anonymous author’s skill lies in maintaining a light, rhythmic verse while depicting increasingly chaotic violence. The incomplete excerpts leave the climax unknown, so the poem rewards reading to its end—if only to see whether the monkey’s frolic concludes with punishment, rescue, or further mayhem.

I found myself thinking of my grandmother's old tomcat, who once sauntered across the piano keys mid-lesson. This book's silly, impossible chase somehow echoes that same gentle chaos. It reminded me of the quieter mischief in The Complete Poems of Sir Thomas Moore Collected by Himself with Explanatory Notes — Story, Setting & Ideas, where even the notes on the margins felt like a friend wandering off the path.