Letter to Evelyn Baring
19 February 1864

Nonsense is often classified as belonging to children's literature, a very good starting point for research in this field is David K. Brown's Children's Literature Web Guide.

Did you know T.S. Eliot published a wonderful small book of Nonsense poetry? You can find The Old Possum Book of Practical Cats at What the Thunder Said: T.S. Eliot, which also has many of Eliot's better-known poems. You might also be interested in the parodies of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock at The T.S. Eliot Page.

James Joyce certainly owes something to Lear's puns (especially those in the letters), so much so that Vladimir Dixon concluded his Litter to Mr Germs Choice about Finnegans Wake writing:

I would only like to know have I been so strichnine by my illnest white wresting under my warm Coverlyette that I am as they say in my neightive land "out of the mind gone out" and unable to combprehen that which is clear or is there really in your work some ass pecked which is Uncle Lear?

You can find the complete text of the letter at Charles Cave's James Joyce site; by the way, many thanks to Charles for his help and encouragement in setting up my own pages. Other Joyce links:

• Work in Progress.
• Jorn Barger's Joyce Pages.
• James Joyce - The Brazen Head.
• Finnegans Wake Home Page.
• Another Joyce Page with readings from Finnegans Wake by Joyce himself.

In Lear 'They' are often the bad characters, a fact that somehow connects him to the greatest contemporary prophet of conspiracy paranoia, Thomas Pynchon; at the San Narciso College Thomas Pynchon Home Page you can find commentaries on his (few) books, some of his articles, FAQs, more links etc.

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