Showing results for "The Hunting of the Snark" in Poetry

But what is a Snark? "Humpty Dumpty's theory, of two meanings packed into one word like a portmanteau, seems to me the right explanation for all." (Lewis Carroll)

This classic nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll introduces 10 characters setting sail for the hunt of the elusive creature called the Snark. Alluding to several themes already presented in Through the Looking Glass, Carroll brilliantly builds fantastical typology on an existential foundation. The crew members hunt for the Snark like we hunt for happiness; with great passion and conviction but also some level of uncertainty regarding its actual meaning or even existence.

"The Hunting of the Snark (An Agony in 8 Fits)" is a poem written by English writer Lewis Carroll. It is typically categorized as a nonsense poem. Written from 1874 to 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).