Snark (Lewis Carroll)

The Snark is the fictional monster that Lewis Carroll created in his nonsense poem The Hunting of the Snark. His descriptions of the creature were, in his own words, unimaginable, and he wanted that to remain so. ["The Annotated Snark", edited by Martin Gardner, Penguin Books, 1974]

The origin of the word

Martin Gardner mentions several combinations of words that have been suggested to be at the origin of the name: "snail" and "shark", "snake" and "shark", "snarl" and "bark", etc. No support for any of this can be found in Lewis Carroll's writings.

What Lewis Carroll asked the children

Lewis Carroll was asked repeatedly to explain the "Snark". Gardner gives us five examples that are on record. In all of them, Carroll's answer is that he doesn't know himself, that he can't explain, etc. His most interesting answer: "...Some children are puzzled with it. Of course you know what a Snark is? If you do, please tell me..."His initial inspiration to write the epic poem in seven fits was, according to him the final verse "For the Snark was a Boojum, you see". Those words struck him as rather odd to be in his head and so naturally, he wrote a poem about it.

How Lewis Carroll has the hunting party imagine the unimaginable

There are several different varieties of snark. Some have feathers and bite, and some have whiskers and scratch. Some are Boojums, which appear a more dangerous kind. When a baker met with this variety, he softly and suddenly vanished away and was never met with again.

The taste of the snark is meager and hollow, but crisp (apparently like a coat that is too tight in the waist), with a flavor of Will-o-the-wisp. It is sometimes served with greens. It also sleeps late into the day. While the snark is very ambitious, and has very little sense of humor, it is very fond of bathing-machines, and constantly carries them about wherever it goes. It is also handy for striking a light.

The domain of the snark is an island filled with chasms and crags, many months' sail from England. On the same island may also be found other creatures such as the Jubjub and Bandersnatch. It is the same island where the Jabberwock was slain. The snark is a peculiar creature that cannot be captured in a commonplace way. Above all, courage is required during a snark hunt. The most common method is to seek it with thimbles, care, forks, and hope. One may also 'threaten its life with a railway share' or 'charm it with smiles and soap'.

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