Snark on Reddit

This is about what I published about The Hunting of the Snark in Reddit (/r/TheHuntingOfTheSnark) before the snrk.de blog was launched in autumn 2017. Some entries are out of date. The text below is a copy from the wiki page in my reddit account.

The poem and the illustrations have been published by C. L. Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) in 1876. On the cover page we read: “With nine illustrations by Henry Holiday”. There are ten illustrations, probably the Bellman’s Ocean-Chart is not by Holiday. (However, he also designed the front cover and the back cover of the book.) Henry Holiday and Dodgson/Carroll became live long friends when designing their book together.

When asked what meaning the poem has, Carroll/Dodgson answered: “I’m very much afraid I didn’t mean anything but nonsense!” Later this statement has been quoted at least thrice. Following the Bellman’s rule, we all know that the author’s statement must be true. Right?

However, In a handwritten memo by Holiday at the bottom of a page from a letter of Lewis Carroll, Holiday noted that the Snark is more than nonsense: «L.C. forgot that “the Snark” is a tragedy and [should] on no account be made jovial.»

The Hunting of the Snark is not just a funny nonsense poem, it is a tragicomedy about legitimate controversy (Snark) turning into lethal fundamentalism, fanaticism and zealotry (Boojum). The Boojum is just around the corner and waiting for all of us.

 
Below you find a copy of r/TheHuntingOfTheSnark/wiki:

 

(A) The subreddit:

 

(B) The poem:

 

(C) The Image Breakers by Marcus Gheeraerts the Elder

 

(D) Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger

 

(E) Henry Holiday – J. E. Millais – unknown artist – Philip Galle (after Maarten van Heemskerck)

 

(F) The Bard by John Martin

 

(G) Matthias Grünewald, Gustave Doré, Henry Holiday

 

(H) Some links related to Thomas Cranmer:

 

(I) Some links related to Charles Darwin:

 

(J) More comparisons (in this subreddits and other subreddits):

 

(K) Setting things right:

 

(L) Miscelaneous:

 

(M) Bycatch:

 

(N) Discussion:

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