Carroll,
Lewis. The
Hunting of the Snark: An Agony in Eight Fits.
Tundra Books unp $17.95 978-1-77049-407-7 2012 all ages VG-BN Poetry
This whimsical poem takes the reader on
a nautical hunt for the mythical Snark. It is
difficult to determine the audience that Carroll had in mind when he penned the poem “The Hunting of the
Snark,” despite the fact that he dedicated the book to a “Dear Child”. There are no young
characters, and the rather dark tale ends unhappily. Still, fans of whimsy will rejoice at Oleg
Lipchenko’s elaborately and richly detailed illustrations of Lewis Carroll’s
classic nonsense poem.
The poem offers much fodder for analysis and speculation, featuring a motley crew
gathered onboard ship to embark on a manic voyage to find the mysterious, elusive
Snark. Savvy readers will note that the
ten-member crew all have descriptions that begin with the letter B. “The Hunting of the Snark” introduces
fantastical creatures while revisiting others, such as the Bandersnatch from
“Jabberwocky,” and reveals new portmanteau words, including “Snark,” which has
since made its way into the English lexicon.
The poem itself, now in the public
domain, is available in a variety of formats and has even been made into a
musical of the same title. Thus, it is
Oleg Lipchenko’s illustrations that make this slender volume stand out from other
versions. A comparison of these illustrations with those in the first edition shows some overlap in
style, and it is clear that Lipchenko devoted a lot of time to analyzing the poem. His understanding of the verses is evident in the
details. Sepia tones offer the
illusion that this is an ancient, fantastical history. Each illustration is a window into the lore
of a long-forgotten voyage into strange lands.
The crew studies a map of the Ocean (a
blank sheet of paper) to guide the hunting party to its destination. The Baker’s uncle
admonishes him that if the Snark is a Boojum, then “you will softly and suddenly vanish away,
and never be met with again”. In true thriller fashion,
the group ignores the Uncle’s warning and divides up to search out the Snark. Each chapter explores the outcome; for example, the Barrister sinks into a nightmare, and
the Banker goes insane after a wild animal’s attack. When the Baker calls out that he has found a
Snark and the others arrive, the Baker has mysteriously disappeared in the meantime.
Lipchenko’s darkly humorous drawings
bring Carroll’s fantasy to life. The Hunting of the Snark is the
second Lewis Carroll book he has illustrated for Tundra. (The first was Alice in Wonderland, which was endorsed by the
Lewis Carroll Society. In a December 7, 2010,
online interview with www.openbooktoronto.com, just as Lipchenko was beginning
to create the illustrations for Snark, he stated that his intention was
to “force a child’s perspective of the illustrations, to make the book
picturesque and attractive”. He added, “This Lewis
Carroll poem is a surreal epic about seeking something highly desirable, and
what it could turn into if one finds it. It is an unusual and mind-twisting tale and one of the most
original works in English literature. I don’t wish to retell the whole story in
this interview; I just recommend everybody to read it.”
Nonsense verses, English --Hilary Welliver
