Phantasmagoria and other poems. By: Lewis Carroll, illustrated By:Arthur B.(Burdett) Frost: poems

by Lewis Carroll, A.B. Frost

"Phantasmagoria" is a poem written by Lewis Carroll and first published in 1869 as the opening poem of a collection of verse by Carroll entitled Phantasmagoria and Other Poems. The collection was also published under the name Rhyme? And Reason? It is Lewis Carroll's longest poem. Both the poem and the collection were illustrated by A.B. Frost."Phantasmagoria" is a narrative discussion written in seven cantos between a ghost (a Phantom) and a man named Tibbets. Carroll portrays the ghost as not so different from human beings: although ghosts may jibber and jangle their chains, they, like us, simply have a job to do and that job is to haunt. Just as in our society, in ghost society there is a hierarchy, and ghosts are answerable to the King (who must be addressed as "Your Royal Whiteness") if they disregard the "Maxims of Behaviour." Ghosts, our Phantom tells the narrator, fear the same things that we often fear, only sometimes in the reverse: "Allow me to remark That ghosts has just as good a right, In every way to fear the light, As men to fear the dark...". Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 - 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English writer, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon, and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, which includes the poem "Jabberwocky," and the poem The Hunting of the Snark, all examples of the genre of literary nonsense. He is noted for his facility at word play, logic and fantasy. There are societies in many parts of the world dedicated to the enjoyment and promotion of his works and the investigation of his life. Dodgson's family was predominantly northern English, with Irish connections, conservative and High Church Anglican. Most of Dodgson's male ancestors were army officers or Church of England clergy. His great-grandfather, also named Charles Dodgson, had risen through the ranks of the church to become the Bishop of Elphin.His paternal grandfather, another Charles, had been an army captain, killed in action in Ireland in 1803 when his two sons were hardly more than babies.The older of these sons - yet another Charles Dodgson - was Carroll's father. He went to Westminster School and then to Christ Church, Oxford. He reverted to the other family tradition and took holy orders. He was mathematically gifted and won a double first degree, which could have been the prelude to a brilliant academic career. Instead, he married his first cousin Frances Jane Lutwidge in 1827 and became a country parson. Dodgson was born in the small parsonage at Daresbury in Cheshire near the towns of Warrington and Runcorn, the eldest boy but already the third child of the four-and-a-half-year-old marriage. Eight more children followed. When Charles was, his father was given the living of Croft-on-Tees in North Yorkshire, and the whole family moved to the spacious rectory. This remained their home for the next 25 years. Charles's father was an active and highly conservative cleric of the Church of England who later became the Archdeacon of Richmond and involved himself, sometimes influentially, in the intense religious disputes that were dividing the church. He was High Church, inclining to Anglo-Catholicism, an admirer of John Henry Newman and the Tractarian movement, and did his best to instil such views in his children. Young Charles was to develop an ambiguous relationship with his father's values and with the Church of England as a whole..... Arthur Burdett Frost (January 17, 1851 - June 22, 1928), was an American illustrator, graphic artist and comics writer.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, 19th Century, Childrens

84 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1869

About the author

The Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known by the pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican clergyman and photographer.

His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass as well as the poems "The Hunting of the Snark" and "Jabberwocky", all considered to be within the genre of literary nonsense.

Oxford scholar, Church of England Deacon, University Lecturer in Mathematics and Logic, academic author of learned theses, gifted pioneer of portrait photography, colourful writer of imaginative genius and yet a shy and pedantic man, Lewis Carroll stands pre-eminent in the pantheon of inventive literary geniuses.

He also has works published under his real name.

Reviews

[Fernando · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leer este divertido poema de Lewis Carroll en el que un hombre es visitado en su casa por un risueño fantasma, me llevó directamente a recordar a otro famoso espíritu: a «El fantasma de Canterville», de Oscar Wilde, pero con distintos finales para cada caso. Otro punto interesante es que aprendí a conocer todas la categorías fantasmales inglesas y de otros países que existen. ¡Muy interesante!

[Undomiel Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favourite collection of Carroll's poetry, but 'Phantasmagoria' is quite possibly my favourite, and so I enjoyed this quick read.

[heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

These poems are just hilarious and entertaining. Well, most of them. I thought two or three weren't that enjoyable because they didn't rhyme so well and / or were too cryptic to be fun. However this book is probably one of the better collections of poems I've read in my life.

My favorite is A Sea Dirge in which Carroll devoted an entire poem hating on the seaside 😂

I wish the Gutenberg ebook edition that I read had included the original illustrations (accessible for free online on Classic Literature website) because they complement the poems beautifully, as well as provide hints and contexts (for sarcasm or inside jokes).

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that was fun. This is my favorite kind of poetry--namely, anti-poetry, meta-poetry, and complete absurdity. Oh, and of course it has to rhyme!

A quick sampling of my favorites:

From The Gardener's Song, which should be labeled post-modern, surely, if it hadn't been written in the 1800s.

He thought he saw a Rattlesnake
That questioned him in Greek:
He looked again and found it was
The Middle of Next Week.
"The one thing I regret," he said,
"Is that it cannot speak!"

And the introductory paragraph of Hiawatha's Photographing:

(In an age of imitation, I can claim no special merit for this slight attempt at doing what is known to be so easy. Any fairly practised writer, with the slightest ear for rhythm, could compose, for hours together, in the easy running metre, of "The Song of Hiawatha."

Or how about the opening of Atalanta in Camden-Town, a sort of anti-romance?

Ay, 'twas here, on this spot,
In that summer of yore
Atalanta did not
Vote my presence a bore,
Nor reply to my tenderest talk, "She had heard all that
nonsense before."

In a similar vein, a bit from The Sea Dirge, or an ode by a poet who loathes the seaside.

If you like your coffee with sand for dregs,
A decided hint of salt in your tea,
And a fishy taste in the very eggs--
By all means choose the Sea.

But I think my very favorite is Poeta Fit, Non Nascitur in which an old poet (ironically) teaches a young lad how to write popular poetry. There's a great sick-burn at the end, aimed at the publishing industry. I think I laughed for five minutes straight.

So, if your idea of *fun* poetry involves dramatic readings of William Topaz McGonagall, you may get a kick out of this one. wink wink.

[Zachary Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title poem was excellent and quite humorous. The other poems were not as exceptional but there was enough dazzling wordplay and rhythm to hold my attention. The illustrations were good, too. All in all, a solid read. I would have enjoyed it if Carroll had written more about ghosts and the supernatural. His take on such subject matter was fun and very clever.

[Elijah McLellan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read, especially the first poem, "Phantasmagoria." I was also impressed by Lewis Carroll's expansive vocabularly, much of which sounds nonsensical but is actual words.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Publicado en 1869 y con ilustraciones de Arthur Burdett Frost ―puede decirse que son muy buenos―. Me recordó mucho a la poesía del libro de Alicia en el país de las maravillas y me trajo nostalgia a volver a mi infancia.

Citas: http://hechaensilencio.blogspot.com.a...

[Shannon McDermott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although prose is usually clearer than poetry, Lewis Carroll's poetry is clearer than his prose. This little book of poems contains what may equally be called whimsy and nonsense; it also contains humor, clever satire, and some beautiful lines ("the vision of a vanished good"). Highly recommended for anyone with a taste for poetry.

[AraBD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro sí me gustó. Disfruté mucho conociendo la ardua vida de los fantasmas que nada tiene de fácil ni de económica :)

[Montse Ortuño · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una lectura muy divertida y entrañable.
Atender la conversación de un humano y un fantasma, ha sido algo agradable.

En formato de cantos, encontraremos el humor y la ironía de Carroll.

Si te gustan las rimas, y los sinsentidos divertidos, es tu librito.

[Diletta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Che gioiellino. Etichetta spettrale 101.

[Irus de la Santa Cruz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un cuentito muy divertido e interesante donde nos plantea el mundo fantasmal y cómo se estructura y actua en el plano humano. Una pequeña lectura para pasarlo bien y desconectar 👻

[Alfie Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in copy of Alice and Through the Looking Glass.

-

Lewis Carroll is clearly a very intellectual poet, who writes interesting and amusing stories whilst keeping to his own nonsensical norms. This collection contains some very good poems which are very very enjoyable to read, which is what you want! My copy is one placed at the back of a hardcover of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass.
Phantasmagoria was a very amusing poem with some very fun dialogue and a lot of cleverly nonsensical ideas. It’s a comic take on a ghost story. The Sea Dirge is an amusingly musical hatred for the sea, which to be honest I can most certainly understand. I liked how each fourth line on the stanza refers back to the sea. Poeta Fit, Non Nascitur is a greatly meta poem, commenting on the admittedly nonsensical nature of written poetry, and comically pointing a finger at the wonderful depths of the poetic art form.
A splendid collection of poems, each one a blast to read. Not confusingly written like many poems, especially of the time. Just a greatly fun read. Loved the short time I had reading.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read here: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/651/65...

Some quirky, fun poems that highlights Carroll's weirdness. Not all are great, the titular poem is probably the best, and the scheme may be seen as simplistic, but the whole experience is meant to be goofy and fun.

I enjoyed "A Sea Dirge" as well, just because there are many people who experience similar things in just as silly of a ways.

[LobsterQuadrille · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology is a neat little hodgepodge of silly, darkly comic, or sometimes just plain confusing poems. These are my favorites:
-Phantasmagoria
-A Sea Dirge
-Ye Carpette Knyghte
-Hiawatha's Photographing
-A Valentine
-Tema Con Variazioni(This one is most fun when you imagine the uppercase lines shouted aloud)
-Poeta Fit, Non Nascitur

[florencia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Durante años no he sido visitado por ninguna clase de espíritu. Pero, todavía, resuenan en mi mente
esas palabras de despedida, dichas amablemente: "¡viejo nabo, buenas noches!"

[Gabriela Peña · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es un libro para distraerse, sencillo, divertido. Creo que contiene una minita de referencias que podrían usarse a la hora de crear más historias.

[Laura Santiago · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cuando el protagonista de nuestra historia llega esa noche a su casa, no podía imaginarse que trasnocharía escuchando la vida y obra de un ser diferente: un fantasma. Sin embargo, como el ambiente es agradable y, al final, es nuevo en su puesto, nuestro fantasma nos contará las reglas, conformidades, disconformidades y vida de su etérea persona.
Este es el punto de partida de esta pequeña obra, un poema narrativo, que también podemos encontrar en prosa, en el que nuestro autor nos plantea una fantasmagoría. Sin embargo, si nos planteamos qué significa este término, parece que nos alejamos del relato.
De este modo, una fantasmagoría es un juego de sombras donde los protagonistas son seres del otro mundo, algo así como un teatro de terror. De este modo, este poema pretende ser una representación escrita de esos horrores que sienten los niños nos atemorizan.
Tras la pista
No obstante, cuando entramos en el relato la sensación es algo diferente a la de terror. En mi caso ha sido algo así como inquietud y es que nuestro autor es especialista en hacernos sentir que detrás de sus palabras siempre hay algo más. En este caso, soy sincera no he sabido desentrañar esa alegoría que creo que pretendía desarrollar, pero sí reconozco que, junto a las ilustraciones, todo el relato de nuestro fantasma y sus discusiones con el protagonista me han enganchado por curiosas y extensas en lo breve, es decir, que, en el reducido espacio de un relato, el autor no da la clasificación fantasmal, con sus reglas e incluso anécdotas pasadas. Un todo en una chispa literaria que sorprende.
Además, como sabemos, Carroll era experto en niños (perdonadme por la expresión), por lo que curiosamente y, a pesar de esa sensación extraña, también nos encontraremos con una historia entrañable que nos proporciona una mezcla entre consuelo y nostalgia, por una parte por ese terror por lo irracional y por otra por ese sentimiento de abandono de la infancia (si lo leéis, entenderéis esta contradicción).
Un clásico breve
En mi caso, lo he leído en una edición bilingüe y, la verdad, creo que no estoy preparada para leer verso en inglés, sin embargo, sí que he podido ver el estilo sencillo y casi de canción escolar que el autor ha empleado para contarnos esta historia de fantasmas.
En este sentido, en cuanto a la traducción, sí cabe decir que a veces se nos puede escapar un poco el significa de lo que se dice, creo que en parte porque hace referencias a realidades inglesas que el lector medio no conoce. En cualquier caso, y a pesar de estos momentos de pérdida, es una obra que se puede disfrutar en su traducción sin problema.
Más allá de esto, os la recomiendo porque creo que siempre es bueno sentir algo de miedo y añoranza. No porque sean sentimientos muy positivos, pero sí porque son sentimientos intensos y, de manera controlada, muchas veces nos recuerdan que estamos un poquito más vivos de lo que pensamos. Por ello, espero que os animéis con el relato y que, en ese caso, lo disfrutéis.

[S.E. Martens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this on Libby and decided to re-read. The first poem, Phantasmagoria is pretty fun - it tells the story of a haunting, in which the victim interviews and berates the spirit, who goes on in detail about bureaucracy in ghost-world. I enjoyed it - though I found at 35 pages, it got a little over-long.

”…Ghosts have just as good a right
In every way, to fear the light,
as Men to fear the dark.” (p. 7)

”Houses are classed, I beg to state,
According to the number
Of Ghosts that they accommodate:
(The Tenant merely counts as WEIGHT,
With Coals and other lumber.)” (p. 8)

“If you address a Ghost as ‘Thing!’
Or strike him with a hatchet,
He is permitted by the King
To drop all FORMAL parleying -
And then you’re SURE to catch it!” (p. 13)

“And did you really walk,” said I,
“On such a wretched night?
I always fancied Ghosts could fly -
If not exactly in the sky,
Yet at a fairish height.” - (p. 14)

The other poems in the collection are a mixed bag (to put it mildly) I found myself not really enjoying anything much. A Sea Dirge is interesting for the absolute loathing Carroll apparently felt towards the beach. Hiawatha’s Photographing is more interesting if you read it knowing about Carroll’s own work in photography. A Game of Fives is simply obnoxious - be gracious to your gentlemen callers, girls, because soon you’ll be thirty-one (gasp) and your life will be over.

[Paula Díaz García · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un cuento divertido, que no te robará más que un rato de tu tiempo, pues se lee en un suspiro.
No sé qué tiene Lewis Carroll que, a pesar de que parezca que no dice más que patochadas sin sentido, sientes que sus cuentos poseen un trasfondo subyacente que te estás perdiendo, que deberías releerlo para llegar a comprenderlo y valorarlo como se merece y que, aún así, lo más probable es que no consigas exprimirlo hasta sus últimas gotas.
Fantasmagoria es un cuento divertido (como dije en un principio), de un fantasma narrándole a un pobre hombre, bien entrada la noche, sobre los hechos y vicisitudes de ser un fantasma, que no un espectro (pues tienen mayor categoría). Pero siento que, en sus palabras, es una alegoría y crítica a nuestra propia sociedad en un tono delirante y absurdista.
Como ya he comentado, siento que este cuento esconde mucho más, y que es más complejo de lo que cabría esperar, por lo que me he encontrado releyendo los cantos o capítulos varias veces para intentar lograr descifrar qué estaba tratando de trasmitir el autor y hallándome, en numerosas ocasiones, más perdida de lo que me gustaría reconocer.
Así que, si le pongo cuatro estrellas en lugar de las cinco que probablemente se merezca, quizá sea más por mi ignorancia que por la más que segura brillantez del texto.

[Mia Mattern · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was super interesting, I dont read poetry very often especially classic poetry because it's difficult to understand but I really really enjoyed this!

"PHANTASMAGORIA" was definitely my favorite by far but I also really loved "POETA FIT, NON NASCITUR" and "HIAWATHA'S PHOTOGRAPHING"

Something I really loved about this poetry was the fact that Lewis Carol seems so ahead of his time, I genuinely laugh at some of the comments made by him, its baffling to think this was published in1869. It's funny how many things have changed and yet I can relate to and/or understand a lot of the themes he touches on within him poems.

I will say although there were some great poems I refuse to believe "YE CARPETTE KNYGHTE" is written in English... it's simply unreasonable to think a poem whose first line reads "I have a horse" could end in "Fayre Syr, how deemest thou of yt? Yt ys- thus bytte of rhyme" like come on man why did you have to be so extra? all your other poems are more or less easily accessible to non old-English speakers. Oh well. Also I dont know if I am misinterpreting "A VALENTINE" but I read it and immediately concluded Lewis was gaslighting his "friend"

[Florencia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lewis Carroll como poeta es simplemente fascinante. Esta fue mi primera experiencia con la poesía y la disfrute completamente.
No se extiende demasíado, va al punto y sus alegorías, metaforas son brillantes.
•La referencia de que las jerarquías siempre han existido, tanto en el mundo de los vivos como en el de los muertos te deja de que pensar. Como los que hacen su trabajo con el corazón son defenestados en la sociedad, mientras que los adinerados siempre saldrán ganando, sin importar qué; la alegoría a que es casí imposible salir de los esquemas e ideologías inculcadas y demás.
•Al inicio te quedas un poco desconcertado, pero una vez que le tomas la mano al relato y al estilo, la experiencia se transgiversa completamente al placer literario.
● La quínta dimensión es igual a la urbanización, las querarquías de poder no mutan.
Así que la vida despúes de la muerte no es ningúna salida; escapamos de la jaula para entrar en otra. Sus monstruos son aún más cruentos y los viveres escasos.

[Libros y apertivos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantasmagoría es un poemario divertido en el que un fantasma le relata a un hombre los hechos y dilemas de ser un fantasma.
Es un poemario fácil de leer mientras disfrutas las rimas originales que expresa nuestro autor Carroll.
El autor no se lo que tiene en su escritura pero cuando lo lees llegas a sentir que no dice más que cosas sin sentido, pero que en el fondo sus versos tienen un trasfondo queriendo transmitir algo. Y llega un punto de tener que releerlo para llegar a comprenderlo.
La creación que nos enseña en Fantasmagoria es muy interesante y está bien construida.
Recomiendo leerlo porque tiene versos muy divertidos, con mucha fantasía y porque es un relato entretenido y que si te gusta este autor no deberían dejarlo pasar.
Yo seguramente siga leyendo el de “las aventuras de Alicia en el país de las maravillas”.

[Dagmar Sola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bueno, un hombre vuelve a casa y, ¡vaya!, se encuentra con un fantasma/trasgo muy, pero que muy, parlanchín que ha decidido que esa es su nueva estancia.
Y ambos hablan en verso.

Debo decir que es curioso, muy curioso. Quien ha tenido que traducir esto ha hecho un gran trabajo, porque dios...
Humano y fantasma conversan largamente. Dicen algunas cosillas interesantes. El fantasma explica cómo ha sido asignado allí, es criticón y también habla de su vida.
...Sinceramente, se me ha hecho pesado, engorroso. ¿Será que no estoy acostumbrada a leer en verso? Es bastante probable, pues se me ha hecho cuesta arriba después del primer canto, y tampoco es que sea mucho texto.

[Carly Krewitsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phantasmagoria is a long poem by Lewis Carroll. It is about a ghost who goes to a man's house to haunt. him. Unfortunately, the ghost goes to the wrong man's house and only realizes this after he has a long conversation with him. The ghost should have immediately asked him what his name was so that he knew he was in the wrong place. The ghost is a friendly ghost, but he also criticizes the man's food, drink, home, etc. Other poems are funny as well. One poem is about a man's intense dislike of the sea. Another poem is about a man who waits thirty years before proposing marriage to the woman he loves only to have her say that she loves her little dog more!

[Jason Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found these poems by Carroll to be somewhat hit or miss, but the “hits” outweigh the misses quite a bit; some were utterly delightful. I’ve always adored “Jabberwocky,” and Carroll’s brilliant wordplay and creativity in these poems hit a nostalgia button that I didn’t know I had for his work. I also found several poems to have a bit of a “Waiting for Godot” vibe to them, with more than a touch of nihilism, which I didn’t expect, but oddly enjoyed. And, if I am being honest, the accompanying illustrations by A.B. Frost more than complimented the poems, but rather, elevated them.

[Magdalena Hai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witty, funny and absurd poems by Lewis Carroll that entertained me greatly. I think my favorite was the first poem, Phantasmagoria, where a strange little ghost pays a visit to a man named Tibbets, tells him stories of the world of ghosts and at the end hurls towards him almost Shakespearean insults:

With that he struck the board a blow
That shivered half the glasses,
"Why couldn't you have told me so
Three quarters of an hour ago,
You prince of all the asses?"

[Joel Everett · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely charming collection of poems by Lewis Carroll; best known for his Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass books. I especially enjoyed his Phantasmagoria, Poeta Fit, Non Nascitur, and Fame's Penny-Trumpet. Thoroughly recommended for lovers of poetry and for those who enjoyed Alice in Wonderland and the variety of little poems he sneaks into that book as well.

[Conan The Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Francamente de Lewis Carroll solo había leído Alicia en el país de las maravillas y la continuación, pero este corto poema me ha parecido genial.

El humor es de lo más británico que hay y todo el poema en sí es gracioso en general. Muy bueno para leer en Halloween.

[Rafael Ahrons · Rating 3 out of 5]

Os cantos são bem divertidos, mas não muito profundos. O universo que nos é apresentado é bem interessante e bem construído. Recomendo ler porque é uma série de cantos engraçados e divertidos para se ler quando quer dar risada