As is often true in comedic works, the characters in To Say Nothing of the Dog are not very complex. The protagonists, Ned and Verity, are sympathetic and easy to identify with; the supporting characters are usually even less realistically rounded, although a single identifying characteristic makes them memorable, much in the style of Charles Dickens. For instance, Lady Schrapnell is bossy, Warder is rude, Finch is deferentially and politely helpful, Tossie is spoiled, Professor Peddick is equally obsessed with fish collecting and by the idea that individual actions determine the course of history, and so on.

Through their actions, Ned and Verity demonstrate the novel's important social concerns and themes. The two meet because Verity has chosen not to accept the dictum that historians cannot change history, and saves a cat from being drowned.

Her impulsive nature, tender heart, and willingness to sacrifice general principles in specific...