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deathmetalheron's review against another edition
To keep our minds open
Is what we've been taught
The fact of it is
I hate poetry
a lot
Is what we've been taught
The fact of it is
I hate poetry
a lot
ultracafeinada's review against another edition
4.0
Durante años no he sido visitado por ninguna clase de espíritu. Pero, todavía, resuenan en mi mente
esas palabras de despedida, dichas amablemente: "¡viejo nabo, buenas noches!"
esas palabras de despedida, dichas amablemente: "¡viejo nabo, buenas noches!"
bookishwendy's review against another edition
4.0
Well, that was fun. This is my favorite kind of poetry--namely, anti-poetry, meta-poetry, and complete absurdity. Oh, and of course it has to rhyme!
A quick sampling of my favorites:
From The Gardener's Song, which should be labeled post-modern, surely, if it hadn't been written in the 1800s.
He thought he saw a Rattlesnake
That questioned him in Greek:
He looked again and found it was
The Middle of Next Week.
"The one thing I regret," he said,
"Is that it cannot speak!"
And the introductory paragraph of Hiawatha's Photographing:
(In an age of imitation, I can claim no special merit for this slight attempt at doing what is known to be so easy. Any fairly practised writer, with the slightest ear for rhythm, could compose, for hours together, in the easy running metre, of "The Song of Hiawatha."
Or how about the opening of Atalanta in Camden-Town, a sort of anti-romance?
Ay, 'twas here, on this spot,
In that summer of yore
Atalanta did not
Vote my presence a bore,
Nor reply to my tenderest talk, "She had heard all that
nonsense before."
In a similar vein, a bit from The Sea Dirge, or an ode by a poet who loathes the seaside.
If you like your coffee with sand for dregs,
A decided hint of salt in your tea,
And a fishy taste in the very eggs--
By all means choose the Sea.
But I think my very favorite is Poeta Fit, Non Nascitur in which an old poet (ironically) teaches a young lad how to write popular poetry. There's a great sick-burn at the end, aimed at the publishing industry. I think I laughed for five minutes straight.
So, if your idea of *fun* poetry involves dramatic readings of [a:William Topaz McGonagall|925056|William Topaz McGonagall|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png], you may get a kick out of this one. wink wink.
A quick sampling of my favorites:
From The Gardener's Song, which should be labeled post-modern, surely, if it hadn't been written in the 1800s.
He thought he saw a Rattlesnake
That questioned him in Greek:
He looked again and found it was
The Middle of Next Week.
"The one thing I regret," he said,
"Is that it cannot speak!"
And the introductory paragraph of Hiawatha's Photographing:
(In an age of imitation, I can claim no special merit for this slight attempt at doing what is known to be so easy. Any fairly practised writer, with the slightest ear for rhythm, could compose, for hours together, in the easy running metre, of "The Song of Hiawatha."
Or how about the opening of Atalanta in Camden-Town, a sort of anti-romance?
Ay, 'twas here, on this spot,
In that summer of yore
Atalanta did not
Vote my presence a bore,
Nor reply to my tenderest talk, "She had heard all that
nonsense before."
In a similar vein, a bit from The Sea Dirge, or an ode by a poet who loathes the seaside.
If you like your coffee with sand for dregs,
A decided hint of salt in your tea,
And a fishy taste in the very eggs--
By all means choose the Sea.
But I think my very favorite is Poeta Fit, Non Nascitur in which an old poet (ironically) teaches a young lad how to write popular poetry. There's a great sick-burn at the end, aimed at the publishing industry. I think I laughed for five minutes straight.
So, if your idea of *fun* poetry involves dramatic readings of [a:William Topaz McGonagall|925056|William Topaz McGonagall|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png], you may get a kick out of this one. wink wink.
funny_bunny_reads's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rosekk's review against another edition
3.0
The title poem I found fun, but my patience was wearing pretty thin by the end of the others. I find there's a lot of poetry I don't like - it's not a form I take to easily, and very little of this appealed to me.
allthings's review against another edition
3.0
I've been trying to get into poetry lately, and this whimsical collection seemed like as good a place as any to start. Although I still struggled with archaic language here and there, the poems are generally quite modern and humorous in tone, particularly the titular one about a little ghost sharing the woes of his job. Poeta Fit, non Nascitur is also a wonderful little meta verse, with a grandfather teaching his grandson how to write poetry, that ends on a suitably wry note:
Then proudly smiled that old man
To see the eager lad
Rush madly for his pen and ink
And for his blotting-pad -
But, when he thought of PUBLISHING,
His face grew stern and sad.
It's a fun, quick read, but only the two poems mentioned above really stayed with me after the fact.
Then proudly smiled that old man
To see the eager lad
Rush madly for his pen and ink
And for his blotting-pad -
But, when he thought of PUBLISHING,
His face grew stern and sad.
It's a fun, quick read, but only the two poems mentioned above really stayed with me after the fact.
kahale's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a cute quick read but I felt that the Alice in Wonderland and through the Looking class poetry was better.
dantanian_noir's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
theratcave's review against another edition
5.0
Lewis Carroll is clearly a very intellectual poet, who writes interesting and amusing stories whilst keeping to his own nonsensical norms. This collection contains some very good poems which are very very enjoyable to read, which is what you want! My copy is one placed at the back of a hardcover of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass.
Phantasmagoria was a very amusing poem with some very fun dialogue and a lot of cleverly nonsensical ideas. It’s a comic take on a ghost story. The Sea Dirge is an amusingly musical hatred for the sea, which to be honest I can most certainly understand. I liked how each fourth line on the stanza refers back to the sea. Poeta Fit, Non Nascitur is a greatly meta poem, commenting on the admittedly nonsensical nature of written poetry, and comically pointing a finger at the wonderful depths of the poetic art form.
A splendid collection of poems, each one a blast to read. Not confusingly written like many poems, especially of the time. Just a greatly fun read. Loved the short time I had reading.
Phantasmagoria was a very amusing poem with some very fun dialogue and a lot of cleverly nonsensical ideas. It’s a comic take on a ghost story. The Sea Dirge is an amusingly musical hatred for the sea, which to be honest I can most certainly understand. I liked how each fourth line on the stanza refers back to the sea. Poeta Fit, Non Nascitur is a greatly meta poem, commenting on the admittedly nonsensical nature of written poetry, and comically pointing a finger at the wonderful depths of the poetic art form.
A splendid collection of poems, each one a blast to read. Not confusingly written like many poems, especially of the time. Just a greatly fun read. Loved the short time I had reading.
arwenauthor's review against another edition
2.0
Had to read this - Lewis Carroll shares my birthday (the 27th) so I felt I had to read something of his. I was going to reread one of the Alice books, but decided to branch out.
This was... bizarre. I'd like to say fantastically bizarre, and some of it was, but most of it was just too random to get a grip on. Honestly, I didn't enjoy it that much, which was a disappointment. Too odd for me. Not to say that other people won't enjoy it, try it yourself and see what you think.
This was... bizarre. I'd like to say fantastically bizarre, and some of it was, but most of it was just too random to get a grip on. Honestly, I didn't enjoy it that much, which was a disappointment. Too odd for me. Not to say that other people won't enjoy it, try it yourself and see what you think.