Tag Archives: nonsense literature

A.E. Stallings, Four Ways of Looking at a Hoopoe

Posted on September 22, 2026 by Marco Graziosi

From the London Review of Books, Vol. 48 No. 17 · 24 September 2026, perhaps not really nonsense, not limericks, but almost: Hoopoe is the thing With feathers, and a crest, Or else a thing with feathers, Striped wings, and … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Nonsense Lyrics | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Wallace Stevens’s “playful, eroticized elaboration of Edward Lear”

Posted on April 17, 2023 by Marco Graziosi

Floral Decorations for Bananas by Wallace Stevens Well, nuncle, this plainly won’t do. These insolent, linear peels And sullen, hurricane shapes Won’t do with your eglantine. They require something serpentine. Blunt yellow in such a room! You should have had … Continue reading →

Posted in Edward Lear | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Tom Swifty’s Course in Nonsense

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Marco Graziosi

Swifty, Tom. A Course in Nonsense: Your Pea-Green Guide to Nonsense Literature. Rotterdam: Brave New Books, 2015. Tom Swifty’s book is exactly what it purports to be, a quick introduction to nonsense literature from ancient Greece to modern times. As … Continue reading →

Posted in Edward Lear | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments