The Hunting of the Snark Audiobook By Lewis Carroll cover art

The Hunting of the Snark

An Agony in Eight Fits

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What a fun and delightfully silly poem! "The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony in Eight Fits" is a nonsense poem (although many insist it is an allegory) written by Lewis Carroll. If you think Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was wacky, try this one. Published in 1876, the poem borrows the setting, some creatures, and eight portmanteau words from Carroll's earlier poem, "Jabberwocky", in his children's novel Through the Looking Glass (1871).

The plot follows a crew of 10 trying to hunt the Snark, an animal that may turn out to be a highly dangerous Boojum. The only one of the crew to find the Snark quickly vanishes, leading the narrator to explain that it was a Boojum after all. The Bellman, whose only navigational skills consist of ringing his bell, is my favorite next to the nervous beaver who knits lace most of the time.

Public Domain (P)2015 Phil Chenevert
Classics Feel-Good Linguistics Social Sciences
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