The Dog Beneath the Skin

A Play in Three Acts, by W. H. Auden and Christopher Isherwood, was the first Auden–Isherwood collaboration and an important contribution to English poetic drama in the 1930s.

The quest takes him on a satiric journey through Europe and England, accompanied by a large dog, who proves to be Sir Francis in disguise.

In Isherwood's version, which appears in the printed text, Sir Francis denounces the villagers and leaves to join a vaguely defined revolutionary movement.

In Auden's revised version, which was performed on stage, Sir Francis denounces the villagers and is killed.

Auden sent a copy of "The Chase" to Isherwood, who suggested revisions that eventually transformed the play into The Dog Beneath the Skin.