Just for Fun: Nonsense, Games, Toy Books, and Derivative Works
evoking wonder and the imagination as much as any fairy tale. Absurd
situations are presented as if they were ordinary, and nonsense words used
as if one could understand them. Playful illustrations increase the reader’s
enjoyment and sometimes, as with Tenniel’s illustration of the Jabberwock, provide an
essential clue as to the author’s intent.
The oldest nonsense texts in English are traditional nursery
rhymes. The House that Jack Built circles round and round,
adding an additional layer of absurdity with each repetition
and straining the memory of the reader. The Song of Sixpence
reminds us that these rhymes also have tunes that were
handed down, as well as traditional actions, like grabbing the
nose of the listening toddler to imitate the blackbird at the
end of the verse.
The nineteenth century saw new nonsense texts as well. Among
the most delightful was The Butterfly’s Ball, an early example of
a book without educational or moral purpose, published just for
fun. The two great nonsense poets of the century were Edward
Lear and Lewis Carroll. Lear concentrated on the limerick form,
although excluding the vulgarity which was its hallmark. He
was also an artist and illustrated his Book of Nonsense himself.
Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, the sequel to Alice in
Wonderland, includes the poem “Jabberwocky”, the meaning
of which has never been satisfactorily explained, but which
gave us useful words like brillig, frabjous, and vorpal.
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The History of the House That Jack Built: A Diverting Story. London: John Harris, St. Paul’s
Church Yard, c. 1820.
Mother Goose’s Rhymes & Chimes. New York: McLoughlin Bros., 1881.
Roscoe, William, and William Mulready, illustrator. The Butterfly’s Ball and the
Grasshopper’s Feast. London: Printed for J. Harris, 1807.
Lear, Edward. A Book of Nonsense. London: Frederick Warne and Co., Bedford Street,
Strand, 1873.
Carroll, Lewis, and John Tenniel. Through the Looking Glass: and What Alice Found There.
London: Macmillan and Co., 1872.