Primary sourceBook1871
Jabberwocky
Lewis Carroll · 1871
Carroll's famous nonsense poem about slaying the Jabberwock, printed within Through the Looking-Glass.
One of Carroll's most celebrated poems, showing his playful invention of language and logic.
About this source
What it is
"Jabberwocky" is a nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll, included in his 1871 novel Through the Looking-Glass. In the story Alice reads the poem in a mirror, since it is written in mirror-writing. John Tenniel illustrated the creature for the book.
Why it matters
The poem is considered one of the greatest nonsense poems in English, inventing words such as "galumphing" and "chortle" that entered the language. It shows Carroll's delight in language, logic and wordplay, and Tenniel's illustration reflects Victorian fascination with newly discovered dinosaurs and fossils.
Look closer
- Why can you still follow the story of the poem even though many of its words are invented?
- What does Tenniel's drawing of the Jabberwock borrow from real animals or fossils?
- Why might Carroll have refused to fully explain the meanings of his invented words?
This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Lewis Carroll on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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