E212: British Literature since 1760

Edward Lear Study Questions

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"The Jumblies"

1. What does a poem like this suggest to you about the way narrative works? (a set of statements or sentences that together make up a story.)

2. Compare Edward Lear's treatment of the way words mean to that of Lewis Carroll in "Jabberwocky" or "The Walrus and the Carpenter." What is similar and what is not?

"Cold are the Crabs"

3. I find this poem rather moving even though it is nonsensical--if I'm a typical reader, how might this poem be arousing my emotions and manipulating them?

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