The Hunting of the Snark

"This one’s only brief – you might want to consider a complete Carroll if you’re looking for a version to have on your bookshelf. But for me, the Snark is the standout of his non-Alice pieces. I think you either like nonsense poetry or you don’t. For me, the poems were the best part of the Alice books. I can still recite all of The Jabberwocky by heart; The Mad Gardener’s Song is a family favourite; if I’m feeling indecisive, I sometimes hear myself think, “Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you join the dance?” And The Hunting of the Snark has that same sticky quality. What can I tell you about the story? They’re hunting a Snark. ‘They’ being a baffling crew, particularly starring the bellman, a beaver, and a butcher with a special talent for beaver-butchering. And if you want to know how well the hunt is going, or what a snark is, this is not the poem for you. Exactly. Although in my view, Carroll is a master because he makes just enough sense. Meaningful things seem to be happening all the time – you just wouldn’t want anyone to quiz you on them afterwards. I could have put Mervyn Peak’s nonsense poems in this spot – A Book of Nonsense, or the posthumous and comprehensive Complete Nonsense. These are fun, and Gormenghast fans might appreciate that Complete Nonsense offers some intertextual interest. But it’s Carroll’s poems that still rattle around my head days after reading them. I think he’s the front-runner. If you read Snark , you will ever have these comforting words to recite in times of striving: “You may seek it with thimbles—and seek it with care; You may hunt it with forks and hope; You may threaten its life with a railway-share; You may charm it with smiles and soap.”"