Author Archives: Marco Graziosi

Edward Lear, Thomas Woolner, and Edward Wilson

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Marco Graziosi

Edward Lear first met Edward Wilson in Rome in February 1860, when the latter brought him a letter from his friend and PRB fellow Thomas Woolner. That same night he wrote to Woolner, obviously in a very good mood, one … Continue reading →

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The Sprout and the Cabbage

Posted on December 11, 2010 by Marco Graziosi

The Sprout and the Cabbage went to sea In a suitable egg shell boat. The waves were so high They thought they would die, But viscosity kept them afloat. The sprout cried out: “Oh, Cabbage, my dear! Wrap your green … Continue reading →

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The Frog and the Heron: A Different Sort of Romance

Posted on December 10, 2010 by Marco Graziosi

The following poem by Peter Newell,  in Harper’s Young People, vol. XIV, 1893, p. 824,  shows that the theme of interspecies sexual-sentimental relationships would be used at least until the end of the century. Given his choice of a title, … Continue reading →

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The Sanity of Nonsense. Round the World with Edward Lear

Posted on December 8, 2010 by Marco Graziosi

Bidding a farewell to fiction Of the fashionable type, Whether based on drug-addiction, “Triangles” or merely tripe, Healthier recreation choosing, Simpler fare and better cheer, I propose to go a-cruising Round the world with Edward Lear. Tell me not the … Continue reading →

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The Frog and the Duck: A Romance

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Marco Graziosi

George du Maurier “took, in 1869-1870, a brief Darwinian respite from his usual labors of satirizing the Victorian drawing room” and, among other things, produced an “unusually extensive and charmingly anthropomorphic picture-story” (Kunzle 293), which appeared in three fortnightly instalments … Continue reading →

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The Hunt for the Scroobious Pip

Posted on November 25, 2010 by Marco Graziosi

The writer/director team of Andrew Pollard and Adam Sunderland have a fine reputation for turning slightly old-fashioned children’s classics into engagingly low-budget entertainments. They have previously made minimalist masterpieces out of Heidi and The Water Babies: now it’s the turn … Continue reading →

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Autographs

Posted on November 25, 2010 by Marco Graziosi

The Victorian age saw a remarkable increase in the cult of personality and a consequence of this was a growing interest in collecting famous people’s autographs. An insatiable demand for historical manuscripts and celebrities’ signatures led to the creation of … Continue reading →

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Another Owl, Another Pussy-cat

Posted on November 20, 2010 by Marco Graziosi

“They call that thing a cat owl. Humph! It may have resembled one of my family before it was stuffed. But now — well — “I’ll leave it to anybody; does that bundle of hay and feathers look anything like … Continue reading →

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A Startling Illusion

Posted on November 16, 2010 by Marco Graziosi

Harper’s Young People, vol. XIV, 1893, p. 40.

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Who is Karel Drofnatski?

Posted on November 10, 2010 by Marco Graziosi

I first came across Karel Drofnatski’s name when reading a review of Bryn Terfel’s CD Silent Noon (DG 000289 477 5336 0, 2004) which includes arrangements of Edward Lear’s “There was an old man with a nose” (“The Aquiline Snub”) … Continue reading →

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