Tag Archives: nonsense words

The Darwins and Edward Lear’s “scroobious”

Posted on July 8, 2021 by Marco Graziosi

Edward Lear was always in contact with naturalists, especially as a young ornithological illustrator. He certainly provided illustrations for  The Zoology of Captain Beechey’s Voyage (1839) and may have had a part in the production of Charles Darwin’s Zoology of … Continue reading →

Posted in Edward Lear | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

O frabjous day!

Posted on September 27, 2020 by Marco Graziosi

TED Ed has released a fun animated retelling of Lewis Carroll’s epic nonsense poem, Jabberwocky from his classic novel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. Poem by Lewis Carroll, directed by Sjaak Rood. Dive into Lewis Carroll’s epic … Continue reading →

Posted in Lewis Carroll | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Edward Lear, Hey, Diddle, Diddle (a New Version)

Posted on May 2, 2019 by Marco Graziosi

Edward Lear, “The little dog laughed to see such sport.” Pen and brown ink on laid paper watermarked with Britannia. 16.2 by 20.3 cm., 6 1/4 by 8 in. Provenance With Gooden and Fox, London (pre-1973); Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999) Lear … Continue reading →

Posted in Edward Lear | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Derry-Down-Triangle

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Marco Graziosi

Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh and 2nd Marquess of Londonderry (1769-1822). Better known as Viscount Castlereagh. As Chief Secretary for Ireland (1798-1801) was instrumental in the passage of the Act of Union in 1800, but his attempt to achieve subsequent political … Continue reading →

Posted in Edward Lear | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Gromboolia: Nonsense Art and Literature

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Marco Graziosi

Michael Heyman, one of the leading experts on world nonsense literature, has created a new website: Gromboolia: The Nonsense Art and Literature Site. It includes an anthology linking to several examples of nonsense literature, music, comics and so on, as … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Later Letters of Edward Lear (to Canon Selwyn)

Posted on May 22, 2016 by Marco Graziosi

‘I DARE say you know my name: I once brought out the “Book of Nonsense,”‘ said the elderly gentleman wearing an eye-shade, as he sat under a shaded lamp in his solitary corner of the salle-à-manger of Dr. Pasta’s Hotel … Continue reading →

Posted in Edward Lear | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mind Your Language

Posted on May 21, 2016 by Marco Graziosi

Many people think a runcible spoon is a sort of pickle-fork with a serrated edge. If that is what they call it, then that is the word for it, but it is not the same word that Edward Lear used … Continue reading →

Posted in Edward Lear | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Christmas Holiday Reading Online

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Marco Graziosi

Several new books by Edward Lear are now available in full online; of particular interest: Lear, Edward. A Book of Nonsense. First Edition. London: T. McLean, 1846. [Florida State University Digital Library] Lear, Edward. A Book of Nonsense. Third Edition. … Continue reading →

Posted in Edward Lear, General | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

WS Gilbert’s Nonsense Poems

Posted on July 18, 2014 by Marco Graziosi

W.S. Gilbert never really wrote Nonsense; his Bab Ballads and other collections, while obviously influenced by Edward Lear ― especially in the strongly caricatural style of the pictures accompanying his poems in the early editions – are rather in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll, Nonsense Lyrics, WS Gilbert | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Limericks!

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Marco Graziosi

A quick note on a few studies on the limerick I have read or re-read recently. Scheepers, Christoph, et al. “Listening to Limericks: A Pupillometry Investigation of Perceivers’ Expectancy.” PLoS ONE 8.9 (2013): e74986. The abstract appears to confirm what … Continue reading →

Posted in Limerick | Tagged , | 1 Comment