Edward Lear

[Chris Newman]

Yes, though Jabberwocky is by Lewis Carroll.

Quite right. I'll crawl back into my shell and write out one thousand times "I am a gert twillup."

[aeolium]

Quite right. I'll crawl back into my shell and write out one thousand times "I am a gert twillup."

I wonder whether anyone has compiled a Victorian nonsense bestiary (along the lines of the medieval ones)....

[lutra]

I hope that Edward Lear fans have been following Radio 3's essay series this week in his honour. The majority of the essays are by academics, but tomorrow's is a whimsical piece by the cartoonist Ralph Steadman, reflecting on what he and Lear have in common.

[french frank]

Hello, lutra, and welcome!

For reference, the series (now on LA) starts here, and - for vinteuil's sake! - there's one on his work as an artist (I think it's on tonight).

I think maybe they'll be available as a podcast (available for 30 days) once the series has ended. They don't seem to go up on a daily basis.

[umslopogaas]

I have an 1889 edition of the Book of Nonsense, in terrible condition, it has been mauled by about five generations of children, the latest being me. I intend to repair it, then get it rebound. I agree that making the last line the same as the first is a bit of a let-down. Rude ones are the best:

"There was a young man of Madras
Whose b***s were made out of brass
In windy weather
They rubbed together
And sparks flew out of his a**e."

I also have a print of his Eagle Owl, a most ferocious beast. My mum used to have two of his parrot prints, but I think my sis must have made off with them. He was a very fine draughtsman.

[vinteuil]

I also have a print of his Eagle Owl, a most ferocious beast. My mum used to have two of his parrot prints, but I think my sis must have made off with them. He was a very fine draughtsman.

... like this?

http://bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19409112

[umslopogaas]

Great stuff, vinteuil! Mine is a different owl, though with a similarly fierce expression. The parrots arent there, as I recall they were macaws, one was mostly red and the other blue and yellow.

Apologies if I've posted this before (it isnt by Lear, but its in the spirit):

There was a young fellow called Sidney
Who drank till he injured a kidney
It shrank and it shrank
But he drank and he drank
... well, he had fun doing it, didnt he?

[Pabmusic]

I learnt this at grammar school (it's supposed to be by W S Gilbert):

There was a young man from Dundee
Who was horribly stung by a wasp.
When they asked "Does it hurt?"
He replied "No it doesn't;
I'm so glad it wasn't a hornet"

And talking of school days (odd how one little thing can open the floodgates of memory):

The Dean undressed with pious zest
The Vicar's wife to lie on.
She thought it rude
To do it nude
So he kept his old school tie on.

[umslopogaas]

This has nothing to do with Lear, except that its a limerick (just to show that I am aware of the need to keep on topic, even though I am largely ignoring it):

From the crypt of the church of Saint Giles
Came a scream that echoed for miles
Said the vicar 'Good gracious!
Has Father Ignatius
Forgotten the bishop has piles?'

Sorry ... that lowered the tone a bit.

This is from the 'I'm Sorry I Havent a Clue' official limerick collection:

As a child I was troubled by nits
Which I caught when we stayed in the Ritz
We moved to the Savoy
Where a rogue saveloy
Leapt up and thrilled granny to bits.

So's this:

At an orgy old Julius Caesar
Met a virgin and tried hard to please her
She said: 'my name's Mimi
Are you pleased to see me?
Or is that the tower of Pisa?'

[aeolium]

Those interested in Edward Lear may want to visit this exhibition of his artwork at the Ashmolean, opening today and running until 6 January 2013.