Nonsense, Humor

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Nonsense, Humor
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Edward Lear (1812-1888)

• Published A Book of Nonsense (1846) when he was
  thirty-four.
• Professionally, Lear was an illustrator
• He was recognized for his drawings of birds,
• He wrote and illustrated several journals during
  his European travels,
• He acted for a while as Queen Victoria's drawing
  master at Osborne House.  
• The public did not know who the author was until
  his name appeared on the title page of the 1861
  enlarged edition.  
• Lear lived to see thirty more editions printed
  before he died.  

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A Book of Nonsense1846
There was an Old Derry down Derry, who loved to
see little folks merry So he made them a Book,
and with laughter they shook At the fun of that
Derry down Derry.
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There was an old man with a beard
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Although his name became famous from his nonsense
books, many people didnt believe he existed.
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Owl and the Pussycat1871
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea    In a
beautiful pea green boat,They took some honey,
and plenty of money,    Wrapped up in a five
pound note.The Owl looked up to the stars
above,    And sang to a small guitar,'O lovely
Pussy! O Pussy my love,      What a beautiful
Pussy you are,          You are,          You
are!What a beautiful Pussy you are!'
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Owl and the Pussycat1871

• II
• Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl!   
  How charmingly sweet you sing!O let us be
  married! too long we have tarried    But what
  shall we do for a ring?'They sailed away, for a
  year and a day,    To the land where the
  Bong-tree growsAnd there in a wood a Piggy-wig
  stood    With a ring at the end of his nose,   
        His nose,          His nose,With a ring
  at the end of his nose.

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Owl and the Pussycat1871

• III
• Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one
  shilling    Your ring?' Said the Piggy, 'I
  will.'So they took it away, and were married
  next day    By the Turkey who lives on the
  hill.They dined on mince, and slices of
  quince,    Which they ate with a runcible
  spoonAnd hand in hand, on the edge of the
  sand,    They danced by the light of the moon, 
          The moon,          The moon,They danced
  by the light of the moon.

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Drawings such as this one demonstrate Lears
artistic capabilities from Journals of a
Landscape Painter in Southern Calabria and the
Kingdom of Naples (1852) Scilla
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Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or
Parrots
42 lithographs with original hand-color Published
only 125 sets. Changed the history of natural
history illustration from engraving to
lithography. Lear worked in great detail,
outlining every feather and filling in the
details with fine lines. This scientific accuracy
extended to every part of the bird, from the beak
to the claws. from Christine Jacksons Bird
Illustrators
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Zoological Illustrations from Illustrations of
the Familyof Psittacidae, or Parrots Scarlet-coll
ared Parakeet (Trychoglossus rubritorquis)
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The purpose of nonsense

• The most important purpose is the delight of
  nonsense for its own sake.
• Its principal value is that people who read and
  appreciate nonsense are better equipped to cope
  with the madness of the modern world, especially
  as reported via the print and electronic media.
  (Kenneth Gangemi)
• The purpose of nonsense is to give young children
  a sense of self-assurance as they feel able to
  distinguish between sense and nonsense. (Kornei
  Chukovsky. From Two to Five. 1963)
• Nonsense offers that ability to confront without
  consequence the more weighty problems of life
  (Donald Grey 171)

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Jabberwocky

• Lewis Carrols nonsense poem found in Through the
  Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871)
  is generally considered to be one of the greatest
  nonsense poems written in the English language.
• The word jabberwocky is also occasionally used
  as a synonym of nonsense.

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Jabberwocky

• 'Twas brillig, and the slithy tovesDid gyre and
  gimble in the wabeAll mimsy were the
  borogoves,And the mome raths outgrabe."Beware
  the Jabberwock, my son!The jaws that bite, the
  claws that catch!Beware the Jubjub bird, and
  shunThe frumious Bandersnatch!"He took his
  vorpal sword in handLong time the manxome foe
  he soughtSo rested he by the Tumtum tree,And
  stood awhile in thought.And as in uffish
  thought he stood,The Jabberwock, with eyes of
  flame,Came whiffling through the tulgey
  wood,And burbled as it came!One, two! One,
  two! and through and throughThe vorpal blade
  went snicker-snack!He left it dead, and with its
  headHe went galumphing back.

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vUGCJFFxoHJ4
"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?Come to my
arms, my beamish boy!O frabjous day! Callooh!
Callay!"He chortled in his joy. 'Twas brillig,
and the slithy tovesDid gyre and gimble in the
wabeAll mimsy were the borogoves,And the mome
raths outgrabe.
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Social Constraints

• What is a good child like?
• What are some things that children should not do?
• Who makes the rules that children are supposed to
  follow?

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Social Constraints

• Rules from parents
• Rules at school
• Religious guidelines
• Peer pressure
• Laws of propriety (socially acceptable behavior)
• Fashion
• language/behavior
• Selfishness/selflessness
• Behavior toward opposite sex

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Breaking social constraints in literature

• gives a feeling of power when readers identify
  with characters who break the rules.
• challenges the norms and conventions of society
  by testing them
• provides a site for humor

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Humor in Childrens Literature

• Why is there so much?
• Why do people love humor?
• Why do children love humor?

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Humor

• Three theories about why we find things funny.
• Superiority (Aristotle)
• Incongruity (Hutcheson)
• Release from Social Constraint (Freud)

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Superiority

• Its not my tragedy.
• We laugh when other people look foolish because
  it make us feel superior.
• The laugher looks down on what he laughs at.
• Enjoyment of other peoples mistakes
• When the Dodo wants to be respected, but when
  uses big words but obviously doesnt really know
  what hes talking about, he looks foolish.

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Incongruity

• We laugh when we notice the incongruity, when
  something doesnt match the expectation.

• The noticing is more important than the actual
  incongruity.
• A very short and fat man holding hands with a
  very tall, thin woman.
• A very sophisticated-looking person acts silly
• Exaggeration Surprise
• Seeing a white rabbit with a waistcoat and a
  watch, and not thinking it odd, at first.

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Release from social restraint

• We laugh when social rules are
• broken.
• Being shockingly crude. Bad language.
• Scatological humor Poopoo peepee.
• A lot of sexual humor
• Defiance Violence sometimes (Its not funny if
  anyone we care about really gets hurt).
• The violence in the Duchesss house.
• Speak roughly to your little boy
• And beat him when he sneezes.

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Humor in Alice

• What did you find funny?
• Or what do you think is intended to be humorous?
• Explain why you think its funny.