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• 1 2020-05-05T17:59:42+00:00 Nonsense Books 21 plain 1353 2020-10-13T19:12:13+00:00 onsense literature is often children’s literature — silly and lighthearted, evoking wonder and the imagination as much as any fairy tale. Absurd situations are presented as if they were ordinary, and nonsense words used as if one could understand them. Playful illustrations increase the reader’s enjoyment and sometimes, as with Tenniel’s illustration of the Jabberwock, provide an essential clue as to the author’s intent.
  
  The oldest nonsense texts in English are traditional nursery rhymes. The House that Jack Built circles round and round, adding an additional layer of absurdity with each repetition and straining the memory of the reader.
  The "Song of Sixpence" reminds us that these rhymes also have tunes that were handed down, as well as traditional actions, like grabbing the nose of the listening toddler to imitate the blackbird at the end of the verse.
  The nineteenth century saw new nonsense texts as well. Among the most delightful was The Butterfly’s Ball, an early example of a book without educational or moral purpose, published just for fun.
  The two great nonsense poets of the century were Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll. Lear concentrated on the limerick form, although excluding the vulgarity which is now its hallmark. He was also an artist and illustrated his Book of Nonsense himself.
  Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, the sequel to Alice in Wonderland, includes the poem “Jabberwocky”, the meaning of which has never been satisfactorily explained, but which gave us useful words, like brillig, frabjous, and vorpal, with which to perplex our friends.