“Nonsense Verse” is the only type of poetry I identify with. Simply put, is “intentionally and overtly paradoxical, silly, witty, whimsical or just plain strange”[1], and it mostly appeals to children. That's not to say that I'm silly, whitty, or whimsical (or maybe I am :) ), but I am British. Wikipedia says that nonsense verse has a long tradition, particularly in
Practically all the poems I wrote as a child were ‘nonsensical’, probably because I wasn't good enough to make rhyming words make sense. Nevertheless, even now when I’m having a gray day stuck in my quiet
The elephant is a bonnie bird.
It flits from bough to bough.
It makes its nest in a rhubarb tree
And whistles like a cow.
The word pairs of elephant/flit, rhubarb/tree, whistle/cow make grammatical sense but semantic nonsense. The homepage for Edward Lear's poetry gives a good idea of what nonsense poetry is, although I never knew that there were sad undercurrents of such uplifting poetry.
There are many authors who write in nonsense verse style, but in particular, Roald Dahl's poems have stuck with me my whole life. Revolting Rhymes was one of my favorite poetry books growing up, although some poems in the collection actually make sense. Nonsense verse is wonderful because it is unrestricted by logic or grown-ups, and it always bring a smile to my face.
As an emerging screenwriter, I try to “think young” in my stories. My wish is to write for a children's audience and work for Disney or Pixar, but I also wish to write screenplays that teach morals and ethics, and are not necessarily “kid-specific”. Nonsense poems inspire me to include levity in my work, and they really encapsulate my vision of art as a medium to uplift and step out of adulthood for a while.
[1] En.wikipedia.org
2 comments:
Aww, I still have that book. I reread one of the poems just now. Maybe I'm still a kid, but I loved Roald Dahl and his poems; he made them fun and interesting.
Everyone likes to watch children's movies and read children's stories/poems because it takes them back to happier times, before all the stresses of school and work.
Anyway, I'm glad I read Roald Dahl again! Thanks.
-Al
i was looking for something else and stumbled onto your blog. i also wish to write for a children's audience, would probably enjoy doing the whole Pixar thing, but don't wish to live anywhere near a metropolis. Not sure how that is going to work out but there you go.
Anyway, i am writing a blog full of nonsense poems myself. i don't show them to many people but i thought upon reading this post that you may appreciate / find some inspiration in them. Just go into my profile and click on "the wrong hamptons". It's best to start from first post and read upwards.
Well, bye. Good luck with your screenwriting.
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