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Bizarro World History 101: Monster Origins
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<blockquote data-quote="s/LaSH" data-source="post: 1122478" data-attributes="member: 6929"><p>Drugs?</p><p></p><p>I don't know. I've got an annotated copy of Snark here, and it's got an excerpt from Carroll's last comment on the Snark, written in 1897:</p><p></p><p>"In answer to your question, 'What did you mean the Snark was?' will you tell your friend that I meant that the Snark was a <em>Boojum</em>. I trust that she and you will now feel quite satisfied and happy."</p><p></p><p>In general, Carroll denied any knowledge of meaning in The Hunting Of The Snark and was quite surprised by people who nevertheless found some. That, of course, doesn't stop people making pages and pages of annotations to try to reason out the actual meaning of a pig on trial for deserting its sty.</p><p></p><p>There are two Carroll-associated images of the Snark by one Holliday, whose engravings gifted the first editions of the nonsense epic. In the last engraving in the book, the Bellman rings his bell before a dark valley and a tree. If you look at the tree and the contours of the valley closely, you can discern the face of the Baker and something siezing hold of his wrist - it's described as variably a claw or a beak. Needless to say, the Baker doesn't look happy in his ghostly last appearance.</p><p></p><p>The second illustration was no-noed by Carroll, largely because it actually depicted the Snark/Boojum. It's since resurfaced, and features a seal-elephant-thing, quite grotesquely fat, and very very big, sitting on a rock as the witness of its existance fades away before it. Holliday was apparently quite pleased with it, but Carroll didn't think a picture of something that has a great deal more visual impact than even a Lovecraftian monster would be apt. I can see his point.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Bandersnatches are again of uncertain lineage, although annotations to the Seventh Fit of the Snark (where one such beast assaults the Banker) indicate that it may be based on <em>bandor</em> or <em>bandar</em>, a ferocious watch-dog and the rhesus monkey, respectively. We do know that it can 'grab', 'extend its neck' and that its 'frumious jaws/Went savagely snapping around -', which indicates something as to its anatomy. 'Frumious' is, according to Carrol's foreword, what happens when the balanced mind tries to pronounce the words Fearful and Furious at the same time.</p><p></p><p>Needless to say, I've often wondered what the man was smoking.</p><p></p><p></p><p>I'm uncertain of any etymology pertaining to the Jabberwock. As we all know, it's a kind of slimy dragon monster, but that's the extent of my knowledge (other than that it's THE Jabberwock, thus indicating a unique status similar to the Tarrasque). And the other creatures (toves, borogoves and rathes) are detailed in Alice Through The Looking Glass (look for Humpty Dumpty, a rather learned fellow fond of pontificating).</p><p></p><p></p><p>Except for the Jub-Jub bird, which is again better described in the Snark (as one Fit revolves around its implied presence). It's capable of uttering frightening cries, and the Butcher informs the Beaver of certain other of its qualities: it would appear to be desperate and in perpetual passion, and ages ahead of current fashion in costume. It knows any friend it has met once before, can't be bribed, collects at charity meetings, and tastes better than mutton, oysters or eggs. Some readers' interpretations have certain stanzas of the Fifth Fit as describing a regular polyhedron.</p><p></p><p>Needless to say, I've often wondered what the readers were smoking.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Well, there's my contribution to certain obscure monstrosities... I hope it's been useful.</p><p></p><p>(As a big PS, I've written a board game based on the Snark, which is very strange and not really playable just yet. I may return to it in the future.)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="s/LaSH, post: 1122478, member: 6929"] Drugs? I don't know. I've got an annotated copy of Snark here, and it's got an excerpt from Carroll's last comment on the Snark, written in 1897: "In answer to your question, 'What did you mean the Snark was?' will you tell your friend that I meant that the Snark was a [i]Boojum[/i]. I trust that she and you will now feel quite satisfied and happy." In general, Carroll denied any knowledge of meaning in The Hunting Of The Snark and was quite surprised by people who nevertheless found some. That, of course, doesn't stop people making pages and pages of annotations to try to reason out the actual meaning of a pig on trial for deserting its sty. There are two Carroll-associated images of the Snark by one Holliday, whose engravings gifted the first editions of the nonsense epic. In the last engraving in the book, the Bellman rings his bell before a dark valley and a tree. If you look at the tree and the contours of the valley closely, you can discern the face of the Baker and something siezing hold of his wrist - it's described as variably a claw or a beak. Needless to say, the Baker doesn't look happy in his ghostly last appearance. The second illustration was no-noed by Carroll, largely because it actually depicted the Snark/Boojum. It's since resurfaced, and features a seal-elephant-thing, quite grotesquely fat, and very very big, sitting on a rock as the witness of its existance fades away before it. Holliday was apparently quite pleased with it, but Carroll didn't think a picture of something that has a great deal more visual impact than even a Lovecraftian monster would be apt. I can see his point. Bandersnatches are again of uncertain lineage, although annotations to the Seventh Fit of the Snark (where one such beast assaults the Banker) indicate that it may be based on [i]bandor[/i] or [i]bandar[/i], a ferocious watch-dog and the rhesus monkey, respectively. We do know that it can 'grab', 'extend its neck' and that its 'frumious jaws/Went savagely snapping around -', which indicates something as to its anatomy. 'Frumious' is, according to Carrol's foreword, what happens when the balanced mind tries to pronounce the words Fearful and Furious at the same time. Needless to say, I've often wondered what the man was smoking. I'm uncertain of any etymology pertaining to the Jabberwock. As we all know, it's a kind of slimy dragon monster, but that's the extent of my knowledge (other than that it's THE Jabberwock, thus indicating a unique status similar to the Tarrasque). And the other creatures (toves, borogoves and rathes) are detailed in Alice Through The Looking Glass (look for Humpty Dumpty, a rather learned fellow fond of pontificating). Except for the Jub-Jub bird, which is again better described in the Snark (as one Fit revolves around its implied presence). It's capable of uttering frightening cries, and the Butcher informs the Beaver of certain other of its qualities: it would appear to be desperate and in perpetual passion, and ages ahead of current fashion in costume. It knows any friend it has met once before, can't be bribed, collects at charity meetings, and tastes better than mutton, oysters or eggs. Some readers' interpretations have certain stanzas of the Fifth Fit as describing a regular polyhedron. Needless to say, I've often wondered what the readers were smoking. Well, there's my contribution to certain obscure monstrosities... I hope it's been useful. (As a big PS, I've written a board game based on the Snark, which is very strange and not really playable just yet. I may return to it in the future.) [/QUOTE]
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