"Hiawatha's Photographing" by Lewis Carroll (poetry reading)

Many of Lewis Carroll's parodies are so good that the originals are now forgotten. Hiawatha, though, is too robust for that. What this parody shows is that the verse form works even better as comedy.
http://people.virginia.edu/~ds8s/carroll/hia.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Carroll

"Lunar caustic" is silver nitrate. My only opportunity ever to use this nearly useless scap of knowledge - as useless as the little-known fact that most tortoises die of diphtheria - was when a Italian doctor was treating me for nosebleeds. First he put a solution of cocaine in my nose (disappointing, no pleasing side-effects) then he said he was going to cauterise the blood vessels with silver nitrate. "Ah, lunar caustic", I said brightly. He obviously had no clue what I meant so he formed the tentative conclusion that I was mad. That's what uncommon knowledge does for you. Eventually he said "For a few days, you gotta keepa you finga outta dere". "Like Ralph" I replied, but obviously he wasn't a Simpsons fan and that only made matters worse. He was glad to see the back of me.

Appearing to be crazy can have benefits though. It discourages unwanted conversations. Find a few good phrases, such as "When is a mouse if it spins?" then triumphantly and loudly, "Because the higher it gets the lower!" That usually works. Or you might try "Did you ever pick your feet in Poughkeepsie?" It worked well enough for Popeye Doyle in The French Connection. .
http://ask.metafilter.com/74526/What-does-it-mean-to-pick-your-feet-in-Poughk...

Lewis Carroll was a pioneer of photography. Some of his pictures are here:
http://doarcodavelha.blogspot.com/2005_12_01_archive.html
http://lcsna.org/carroll/photography/

Original illustrations by Arthur B. Frost
The final picture is of Alice Liddell.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Hiawatha's
• Photographing
• Lewis
• Carroll

[colourmegone]

One of my favourite Carroll's.