Click on titles to read Newf-related passages and comments. The year in parentheses immediately following the title is the year of first publication.
The Expedition of Humphry Clinker (1771) by
Tobias Smollett
This novel, a comic/satiric look at life among English high-society types, mentions Newfoundlands rather unfavorably.
"The History of Gallantry" by
Anonymous (1771)
This anonymous satiric tale mentions a real-life Newfoundland associated with a real-life scandal.
The Cozeners (1774) by
Samuel Foote
This play contains one of the earliest metaphorical references to Newfoundland dogs.
"A Scene in Mr. Foote's New Comedy" by
Anonymous (1774)
An extract from Samuel Foote's satiric play The Cozeners appeared in the London Magazine, an influential literary monthly. The reference to Newfs is metaphorical, but confirms that many Newfs at the time had curly coats.
"Elegy on the Death of Bungy"(1784) by
Anonymous
As far as my research has discovered, this is the earliest-known elegy on the death of a Newfoundland dog — 24 years before Lord Byron's much more literary and more famous
1808 elegy on his Newfoundland, Boatswain.
(1786) by
Robert Burns
Burns is widely regarded as Scotland's greatest poet; this poem, which inspired a painting by Sir Edwin Landseer, presents a conversation between a Newfoundland and a collie in which they compare their lives.
"Ode: Rich as Dutch cargoes from the fragrant East" (1787) by
John Wolcot ("Peter Pindar")
This satiric poem's mention of Newfoundlands notes their size and nobility.
The Caravan by
Francis Reynolds (1803)
This play is, as far as I know, the very first dramatic work with a role specifically scripted for a Newfoundland dog. (This play may also be found listed in the "Newfs in film and television" section of The Cultured Newf.)
"The Exciseman's Disaster" (1804) by
John Collins
A satiric poem in which a Newf performs a water rescue — well, a brine rescue.
The Life of the Famous Dog Carlo (1804) by
Eliza Fenwick
This work for younger readers is a fictional 'biography' of the Newfoundland "Carlo" made famous by Francis Reynold's 1803 play
The Caravan.
(1808) by
George Gordon, Lord Byron
Arguably the most quoted piece of Newfoundland literature ever.
A History of New-York (1809) by
Washington Irving
This history-cum-satire was Irving's first published work that has a single metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands.
Northanger Abbey (1818) by
Jane Austen
Austen's satire of Gothic fiction contains one (significant) reference to a Newfoundland puppy, the only Newf in all of Austen's work.
Sporting Magazine (1819)
A popular sporting monthly, published in London. This issue contains a brief comic satire on a (fictional) noblewoman and her Newfoundland.
Vivian Grey (1826) by
Benjamin Disraeli
The first novel by this important British politician and author contains several references to Newfoundlands, one of them specifically described as what we now know as a Landseer.
Noctes Ambrosianæ #33, 34 (1827) by
John Wilson
Entries from a popular series of imaginary dialogues between a small group of educated friends, originally published individually in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine. This first of these includes some discussion of the Newfoundland belonging to one of the characters — and if you can get through the Scottish dialect, it's quite an encomium on the size and strength of the Newf.
Noctes Ambrosianæ #50 (1830) by
John Wilson
Another in a series of imaginary dialogues between a small group of educated friends, this one includes some discussion of a Newfoundland belonging to one of the characters. This Newf, the son of the Newfoundland mentioned in earlier episodes in this series, ingests some opium. Comic mayhem ensues.
New Sporting Magazine (1833)
The February issue of this field sports monthly carried a comic article on some aspects of hunting which includes a general, and rather ... curious reference to Newfoundlands.
"Dog-Grel Verses. By A Poor Blind" (1834) by
Thomas Hood
This comic poem has one brief reference to a Newfoundland.
"Epitaph for Caesar" (1835?) by
Lord Eldon
Another nobleman pens an epitaph for his Newfoundland.
"Engraved on the Collar of a Newfoundland Dog" (1836) by
Stephen Prentis
This brief poem pays indirect homage to Byron's epitaph for Boatswain, as it notes a dramatic difference between the character of humans and the character of dogs.
The Pickwick Papers (1836-1837) by
Charles Dickens
Dickens' first novel, published serially, is more comic than the typical Dickens novel; this one contains only a single metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands.
See also this brief note regarding
Dickens and Newfies.
(1838) by
Edgar Allan Poe
A short adventure novel that prominently features a Newfoundland.
The Deputy of Arcis (1839) by
Honoré de Balzac
One brief reference to Newfoundlands — as being dangerous!
Barnaby Rudge (1841) by
Charles Dickens
The preface to this historical novel references an incident from Dickens' personal experience of owning Newfoundlalnds — and ravens.
The Fitz-Boodle Papers (1842) by
William Makepeace Thackeray
This satire on Victorian high society has one early reference to a Newfoundland.
Eve and David (1843) by
Honoré de Balzac
This serialized novel contains one metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands' rescue abilities.
"The Gold-Bug" (1843) by
Edgar Allan Poe
One of Poe's classic detective stories briefly features two Newfs.
Martin Chuzzlewit (1843-44) by
Charles Dickens
Considered the last of Dickens' early novels, this work has two indirect references to Newfs.
"The Newfoundland Dog" (1843) lyrics by
F. W. N. Bayley
A popular song featuring a life-saving Newfoundland named Carlo.
Elinor Wyllys (1845) by
Susan Fenimore Cooper
The only novel by Cooper — the daughter of James Fenimore Cooper of Last of the Mohicans fame — sees a Newf make several appearances, including a water rescue.
Cousin Pons (1847) by
Honoré de Balzac
This novel, by one of France's greatest writers, briefly mentions a fierce Newfoundland performing guard duty.
Jane Eyre (1847) by
Charlotte Brontë
A classic early Victorian novel, filmed several times, and a significant work in the canon of Newfie lit given the prominence of Mr. Rochester's Newfoundland, Pilot.
Brontë also mentions a Newfie in a
letter
(1847) by
Charlotte Mary Yonge
A passing reference to a Newfoundland as an apt accompaniment to a country mansion.
Vanity Fair (1847-48) by
William Makepeace Thackeray
This famous Victorian novel has one metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands.
Hudson's Bay (1848) by
R. M . Ballantyne
This adventure novel for boys features one metaphorical reference to Newfs.
"A Song for the Dog" (1848?) by
Eliza Cook
A poem that celebrates all things dog specifically mentions the Newfoundland's water-rescue instinct.
"The Open Window" (1850) by
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This brief poem is a bit of a tear-jerker about children growing up and the silence that lingers after they have gone.
Autobiography of a Pheasant (1850) by
"Saron"
This satirical "autobiography" was serialized in Sporting Magazine beginning in October of 1850, and includes one early mention of a hapless Newfoundland dog.
"The Room of the Household" (1850?) by
Eliza Cook
A Newfoundland is part of a happy homecoming.
Willis the Pilot (1850) by
Adrien Paul
This novel, a sequel to The Swiss Family Robinson, has one anecdote featuring a Newf's stairway encounter with a pug.
Moby-Dick (1851) by
Herman Melville
The classic whale tale has a single metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands.
Peter the Whaler (1851) by
W. H. G. Kingston
Kingston (1814 - 1880) was a popular and prolific author of boy's adventure stories in the 19th Century.
Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) by
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Stowe's classic novel on slavery in America twice references Newfoundlands.
A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys (1852) by
Nathaniel Hawthorne
A collection of retellings of tales from Greek mythology for children, with a single mention of a Newfoundland.
Agatha's Husband (1852) by
Dinah Mulock Craik
This novel contains a single metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands' temperament.
The Adventures of Mr. Verdant Green (1853-57) by
Cuthbert M. Bede
Two references to Newfoundlands, though only one appears directly (and only in passing) in this novel.
Ella Barnwell (1853) by
Emerson Bennett
A Newfoundland proves his mettle, and travels with Daniel Boone, on the American frontier.
"My Friend Spanner" (1853) by
Samuel Sidney
A pair of Newfoundlands get hitched to a couch, and it doesn't turn out well.
My Novel (1853) by
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
One passing reference to a Newfoundland.
Scenes from Clerical Life (1853) by
George Eliot
One passing mention of a Newfoundland in this novel about life and love in small English towns.
Hide and Seek (1854) by
Wilkie Collins
A Newfoundland is a regular presence in this mystery novel.
The Heir of Redclyffe (1854) by
Charlotte Mary Yonge
A Newfoundland to the rescue — water rescue, of course.
"Asleep" (1855) by
Richard Forster Sketchley
A Newfoundland figures in this touching lament for a lost love.
The Frozen Deep (1855) by
Wilkie Collins
This short story (which began life as a play) about the doomed Franklin Expedition to find the Northwest Passage contains one passing reference to Newfoundlands.
"The Guest" (1855) by
Charles Dickens
Another Christmas-themed short story from the man who gave us "A Christmas Carol," this one includes a Newf who discovers evidence of murder.
Little Dorritt (1855-57) by
Charles Dickens
A Newfoundland has a small role in this rich work that combines a love story with classic Dickensian skepticism of British legal and social institutions.
The Daisy Chain (1856) by
Charlotte Mary Yonge
A Newf befriends a young suitor — or is it the other way around?
"Madame Freschon's" (1856) by
Harriet Parr
A Newfoundland plays emotional support dog for a sad young woman.
"Lost Alice" (1858) by
Mary W. A. Gibson
This grim short story, which appeared in Charles Dickens' literary magazine Household Words, features a woman whose Newf proves much more emotionally reliable and available than the man she marries.
Martin Rattler (1858) by
R. M . Ballantyne
This adventure novel for boys has one metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands.
"The Reverend Alfred Hoblush's Statement" (1858) by
Percy Hetherington Fitzgerald
This comic story about a dog-fearing man and his humiliating encounter with a Landseer Newf first appeared in Charles Dickens' magazine Household Words.
Ungava: A Tale of Esquimaux-land (1858) by
R. M. Ballantyne
This work twice mentions Newfoundlands in making a comparison of the size of dogs, though there are no Newfs in the story.
The Lifted Veil (1859) by
George Eliot
This novel of the preternatural mentions a Newf as a particularly meaningful companion.
Love Me Little, Love Me Long (1859) by
Charles Reade
This novel refers to a Newfoundland which behaves in a very uncharacteristic manner.
The Young Step-Mother (1856 - 1860) by
Charlotte Mary Yonge
A quick metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands.
The Dog Crusoe and His Master (1860) by
R. M. Ballantyne
A Newfoundland, one of the main characters in this novel, accompanies his young owner when he sets out to foster peace between Native Americans and settlers in the American West.
The World of Ice (1860) by
R. M . Ballantyne
This whaling adventure novel makes several metaphorical mentions of Newfoundlands.
The Red Eric (1861) by
R. M. Ballantyne
This maritime adventure story makes one metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands.
The Stokesley Secret (1861) by
Charlotte Mary Yonge
A passing reference to a Newfoundland.
"The Deil in the Pit. A Tale" (1862) by
David Wingate
A Newfoundland is among those waiting to see what a pair of coal miners discover on their search for the "devil" haunting their mine.
Lady Audley's Secret (1862) by
Mary Elizabeth Braddon
In this novel of mystery and intrigue and hidden pasts, a young woman's closest confidante is her Newfoundland.
No Name (1862) by
Wilkie Collins
A single metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands.
Hard Cash (1863) by
Charles Reade
A single metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands.
"The Renowned Dog Caesar" (1863) by
Percy Hetherington Fitzgerald
An account (mostly, perhaps entirely fictional) of a young boy's encounter with a theater Newf.
"Aylmer's Field" (1864) by
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
This long poem makes one brief reference to a Newfoundland.
Brother Jacob (1864) by
George Eliot
This experimental novel of social satire has a single metaphorical mention of Newfoundlands.
Henry Dunbar (1864) by
Mary Elizabeth Braddon
A Newfoundland serves as a young woman's faithful protector.
"Lilly and Her Newfoundland Dog" (?) by
John Critchley Prince
A short, sentimental poem extolling the virtues of a little girl's beloved Newfoundland.
Black Sheep (1866) by
Edmund Yates
This novel includes a brief scene with a Newfoundland doing what was almost a cliché parlor-trick for Newfies by this point in the 19th Century: carrying a basket by the handle.
Shifting Winds: A Tough Yarn (1866) by
R. M. Ballantyne
This adventure novel has one metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands.
Cometh Up as a Flower (1867) by
Rhoda Broughton
Two metaphorical Newf references.
Under Two Flags (1867) by
Ouida
A passing remark on Newfoundlands' love of water.
Guy May (1868 -1869) by
Anonymous
This novel was serialized in Sporting Magazine, and in one installment a character tells a dramatic story about some nautical Newfoundlands.
Little Women (1868) by
Louisa May Alcott
This much-loved classic has one metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands..
The Baron's Sons (1869) by
Maurus Jókai
A Newfoundland makes a couple of incidental appearances in this novel.
Hunting the Lions (1869) by
R. M . Ballantyne
A metaphorical comparison of lions and Newfoundlands — the lion loses.
Blacklock Forest (1869 - 70) by
George Wightwick
This novel mentions a Newfoundland in connection with Sir Edwin Landseer's most famous Newf painting.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands (1870) by
R. M . Ballantyne
This fictionalized study of the life of lighthouse keepers regularly mentions a Newfoundland.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870) by
Charles Dickens
Dickens' last (and incomplete) novel has one metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands.
Put Yourself in His Place (1870) by
Charles Reade
A metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands' dignified character.
Stronger than Death (1870) by
M. Sullivan
This serialized novel has one metaphorical mention of Newfoundlands.
"Up a Tree" (1870) by
Anonymous
A Newfoundland figures prominently in this tall tale set in the American West.
Middlemarch (1871) by
George Eliot
One passing reference to an aged Newfoundland.
A Terrible Temptation (1871) by
Charles Reade
A Newfoundland, being over friendly, gives a woman a start — and almost pays the ultimate price.
Alice, or The Mysteries (1873) by
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
A Newf figures briefly in this novel.
The Pillars of the House (1873) by
Charlotte Mary Yonge
Two brief references to Newfoundlands.
Far From the Madding Crowd (1874) by
Thomas Hardy
One passing reference to Newfoundlands .
Olympia (1874) by
R. E. Francillon
A young orphaned girl befriends a Newf puppy — but not for long.
Dear Lady Disdain (1875) by
Justin McCarthy
This work has one incidental reference to a character's Newfoundland dog.
My Young Alcides (1875) by
Charlotte Mary Yonge
The Newf in this story is involved in a water rescue — but this time it is the Newf who needs rescuing.
Rivers of Ice (1875) by
R. M. Ballantyne
One metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands.
Miss Misanthrope (1877) by
Justin McCarthy
This work has one metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands.
McLeod of Dare (1878) by
William Black
One metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands.
A Love Episode (1878) by
Emile Zola
One incidental reference to a Newfoundland.
Magnum Bonum (1879) by
Charlotte Mary Yonge
Two brief references to Newfoundlands.
The Rover of the Andes (1880) by
R. M. Ballantyne
One metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands.
Esther (1884) by
Henry Brooks Adams
A single metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands.
Diana of the Crossways (1885) by
George Meredith
A Newf makes a regular appearance in this novel, often regarded as Meredith's finest.
The Bostonians (1885-86) by
Henry James (1843 - 1916)
One indirect reference to Newfoundlands.
A Romance of Two Worlds (1886) by
Maria Corelli
This novel's Newf is a prominent minor character, on a par with Pilot in Jane Eyre.
The Big Otter (1887) by
R. M. Ballantyne
Another metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands.
"To the Memory of a Newfoundland Dog" (1889) by
Sibyl D. Wolcott
A touching elegy on the death of a Newfoundland puppy.
Sylvie and Bruno (1889) by
Lewis Carroll
In this fantasy novel by the author of Alice in Wonderland, the kingdom of Dogdom is ruled — of course — by a Newfoundland.
Three Men in a Boat (1889) by
Jerome K. Jerome
A metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands and a passing mention of actual Newfoundlands.
The Sign of Four (1890) by
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
This Sherlock Holmes novel has one metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands.
"Leo" (1891) by
Richard Watson Gilder
This brief poems celebrates either a Newfoundland's love for his master, or separation anxiety.
"Namgay Doola" (1891) by
Rudyard Kipling
A metaphorical reference to Newfies in this comic tale from one of England's most famous writers.
Sylvie and Bruno Concluded (1893) by
Lewis Carroll
The sequel to Carroll's Sylvie and Bruno, again featuring a Landseer Newfoundland as King of the Dogs, although this time we see him in the "real" world.
God's Good Man (1894) by
Maria Corelli
Another Corelli novel in which a Newfoundland is mentioned frequently, almost to the point of being a minor character.
Effi Briest (1895) by
Theodor Fontane
A Newfoundland named Rollo provides emotional support to his mistress in this romantic tragedy by an important 19th-Century German writer.
Abroad with the Jimmies (1902) by
Lilian Bell
A metaphorical use of the Newfoundland character in reference to the great Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy.
The Call of the Wild (1903) by
Jack London
London's best-known work has two Newfoundlands, neither of whom gets to have a happy ending.
The Ghost Ship (1903) by
John C. Hutcheson
One passing reference to Newfoundlands.
The Four Corners Abroad (1909) by
Amy E. Blanchard
One metaphorical reference to Newfs.
Celt and Saxon (1910) by
George Meredith
This book, one of Meredith's early novels, features only a passing reference to Newfs.
Peter and Wendy (1911) by
J. M. Barrie
This children's classic, with origins in a 1902 novel and 1904 stage play by Barrie, features a Newfoundland, perhaps the most famous in literature: Nana.
The Financier (1912) by
Theodore Dreiser
A single metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands.
The Titan (1914) by
Theodore Dreiser
The sequel to Dreiser's The Financier also has a lone metaphorical reference to Newfs.
To Your Dog and to My Dog (1915) by
Lincoln Newton Kinnicutt
An anthology of dog-related prose and verse by prior writers.
King Coal (1917) by
Upton Sinclair
Sinclair's political critique contains one metaphorical reference to Newfoundland loyalty.
The Magnificent Ambersons (1918) by
Booth Tarkington
Tarkington's classic novel twice references Newfoundlands in relation to conspicuous consumption.
The Age of Innocence (1920) by
Edith Wharton
One passing reference to a Newfoundland.
The Garden of the Plynck (1920) by
Karle Wilson Baker
One metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands.
Main Street (1920) by
Sinclair Lewis
One indirect reference to Newfoundlands.
The Secret Power (1921) by
Maria Corelli
One metaphorical reference to Newfoundlands.
Jacob's Room (1922) by
Virginia Woolf
A Newf makes a very brief appearance.
Ulysses (1922) by
James Joyce
One passing reference to Newfoundlands.
"The Adventure of the Creeping Man" (1923) by
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
This Sherlock Holmes story has one passing reference to a Newfoundland.
"Carlo" (1923) by
E. J. Pratt
A poem about a Newf mix performing a heroic sea rescue.
Dogs and Men (1924) by Mary Ansell.
Much of this brief book is devoted to the story of Luath, the Landseer Newfoundland owned by Ansell and her husband J. M. Barrie and who served as the inspiration for Nana, the Newfoundland nanny in Barrie's Peter Pan.
The Virgin and the Gypsy (1930) by
D. H. Lawrence
A Newfoundland is mentioned several times in this story, serving as a reference point for uninteresting men.
Flush: A Biography (1933) by
Virginia Woolf
A passing reference to Newfoundlands.
Between the Acts (1941) by
Virginia Woolf
A passing reference to Newfoundlands.
Post Captain (1972) by
Patrick O'Brian
A couple of passing references to Newfoundlands in the second of O'Brian's famous "Aubrey/Maturin" series of historical sea novels.
The Mauritius Command (1977) by
Patrick O'Brian
A passing reference to a Newfoundland in the fourth of O'Brian's famous "Aubrey/Maturin" series of historical sea novels.
Desolation Island (1978) by
Patrick O'Brian
An actual Newfoundland shows up in this, the fifth of O'Brian's famous "Aubrey/Maturin" series of historical sea novels.
The World According to Garp (1978) by
John Irving (1942 - )
Irving's most well-known novel includes an early incident with an uncharacteristic Newf.
Patriot Games (1987) by
Tom Clancy (1947 - 2013)
One of the "Jack Ryan" novels by Clancy has a passing reference to Newfoundlands.
Chasing Stanley (2007) by
Deirdre Martin
A romance novel featuring a hockey player and his Newf.
The Condor's Feather (2009) by
Margaret Muir
A tale of adventure in South America, with Newfs.
The Anne Marie (2011) by
Israel Parker
A Newf loses his beloved family — now what?
Yukon Justice (2021) by
Dana Mentink
A Newf is featured in this romance of danger in Alaska.
Gunner's Island (2023) by
R. R. Holzhauer / illust. by Rebecca Lyons
A pilot returning from WWII struggles to fit back in to civilian life — until a special Newfoundland befriends him.
