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Monday, June 30, 2003
Excelsior
[H.W. Longfellow's famous poem, Jams Thurber's illustrated version, and a "Parody" attributed to Edward Lear. One of these days I am going to publish a scan of the manuscript, in the State Library of Victoria.]
posted by Marco Graziosi Monday, June 30, 2003
Don't be so beastly!
There was a time when you could sing, 'I love little pussy, her coat is so warm' without fear of innuendo. There was no pun intended when Edward Lear wrote, 'O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, what a beautiful Pussy you are.' Puss or pussy has been the nursery term for a cat since the early 16th century. For almost as long, of course, it has also been used to denote sexual intercourse, a woman and female genitalia. (It is safe to assume, for example, that the toast, 'Here's a health to thee, to Pusse and to good company', recorded in 1664, was not a tribute to Tibbles.) But not everyone was familiar with tavern slang, and pussy remained a term of endearment for women, as well as cats, well into the 19th century.
[This interesting articles will explain why searching for The Owl and the Pussy-cat with a child on your lap is not a good idea.]
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian
posted by Marco Graziosi Monday, June 30, 2003
Bolivia: Bring your own dynamite
Jim Perrin sees toucan-shaped phone boxes and an Edward Lear zoo in Bolivia.
[Again, not really about EL.]
Telegraph | Travel
posted by Marco Graziosi Monday, June 30, 2003
Four larks and a wren
EDWARD Lear was no doubt thinking of the famous skylark of England, two pairs having nests in his beard. The UK has three lark species and Africa has 80% of all the world's 75 lark species. Larks are mostly concentrated in the Old World in their distribution. The Horned Lark alone has colonised South America (Colombia).
[This is actually about larks, but I could not resist...]
The Natal Witness Group
posted by Marco Graziosi Monday, June 30, 2003
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