Fitte the Second by Eugene Field

A "fitte" (or "fit") is an archaic term for a segment of a long poem or ballad, similar to a chapter. Field employs this term to give his humorous poem about bathing a dog an air of a grand medieval epic. The contrast between the lofty title and the trivial subject matter adds to the humor.

"Odzooks" is a playful old-fashioned exclamation — a toned-down oath from earlier English, much like "egads" or "zounds." Field uses it to portray the husband as dramatically flustered, as though the soap question is a scandal. This choice aligns with the poem's ongoing joke of employing grand, archaic language for entirely mundane situations.

Yes, all of them. Ivory (Procter & Gamble), Pears (a British brand that gained popularity in America), Colgate, Kirk's, Pearline, and Sapolio were all genuine and heavily marketed cleaning products in the 1890s. Mentioning these brands gives the poem a particular, relatable vibe that would have surely made Field's newspaper readers chuckle in recognition.

The Chicago Board of Trade has been a significant commodities exchange where traders buy and sell grain, livestock futures, and other goods. Field was a Chicago writer, and his readers would have been familiar with it. The poem's final comic twist comes from sending the husband to this important financial institution right after a discussion about dog soap.

It refers to the individual components — specifically, the dog, the water, and the soap. This phrase sounds overly formal and almost scientific for something as straightforward as bathing a puppy, which is precisely why Field chooses it. The exaggerated language used for such a simple task is at the heart of his humor throughout the poem.

Yes. The title "Fitte the Second" indicates that this is the second part of a longer comic series. Field created several of these mock-epic series in his newspaper columns, chronicling characters—often pets—on their domestic adventures using intentionally archaic and heroic language.

The humor arises from the contrast between the style and the subject matter. Field describes bathing a dog as if he were narrating a medieval epic, employing archaic language and formal phrasing, with a husband offering "sapient" advice. The more the poem treats its trivial subject with seriousness, the funnier it becomes.

Mistress Taylor is introduced as the wife, only mentioned by name in the final stanza. Throughout the poem, she's referred to as "his doting spouse," so the abrupt shift to her name at the end adds a sense of realism to the scene. It's as if Field is nudging us to remember that these characters are real (or at least relatable) individuals, not merely comedic stereotypes.