What is the pre-Lear, pre-Carroll history of nonsense literature? On the one hand, it's surprising it arises, qua genre, so late. On the other hand, not surprising, as it is so clearly continuous with prior art: jokes, folk songs, courtly wit, travesties, parodies, etc.
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There was general goofiness on this side of the Atlantic. B. Franklin joined in in his Boston days.
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All jokes and humor writing are, in a sense, a form of nonsense literature. But realizing you can actually make-do with sheer nonsense as the keynote is kind of a step. It's more of a subtraction move than an addition.
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Clearly Sterne is getting there. That's a good example because many people didn't get it (I gather it had a rocky reception). Whereas now we get it. Did anyone not get Carroll's "Alice" because it was so weird? Did it offend anyone's proper sensibilities?
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It's kind of weird that the metaphysical poets didn't write more sheer literary nonsense. And that the French courtly wits who liked to invent Mother Goose-type tales didn't make them even more nonsensical.
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