E212: British Literature since 1760

Lewis Carroll Study Questions

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"Jabberwocky" and Humpty Dumpty's Explication

1. What does a poem like this suggest to you about the way language works? A suggestion: the odd thing is that many of the poem's words are not exactly in the dictionary, but they seem to mean something nonetheless. Why?

2. How does Humpty Dumpty explain the story's meaning--what narrative of events emerges from his interpretation?

"The Walrus and the Carpenter"

3. How does this poem handle its disturbing themes--duplicity and violence? How does the comic aspect of this poem react with the darker side of it? Would you say it is more light and fun, or more disturbing and dark? Why?

4. How do you interpret the difference between the Walrus and the Carpenter regarding their intentions towards the oysters, or at least between the attitude they take towards what might be a common intention?

Edition: Abrams, M.H. et al. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume 2. Seventh edition. New York: Norton, 2000.