The Limerick: A History, 1820-1920

For more than 200 years, the limerick has been loved for its mordant wit, breath-taking rhymes, swinging rhythm, groaning puns, and the ability to paint outrageous mental pictures. This book analyzes the limerick's origin and evolution as the best-known humorous verse form in the English-speaking world. It also examines previous attempts to capture the history of the limerick, many of which presented flawed conclusions based on mere guesswork, with a surprising number contradicting each other. The author's findings are laid out logically and chronologically so the reader can easily follow the thread of every claim. The result is an uninhibited description of how the limerick developed--and it's humorous too!