‘They dined on mince and slices of quince,
which they ate with a runcible spoon‘
The Owl and the Pussycat, Edward Lear, 1871
To hazard a guess at the exact nature of a runcible spoon, you’d have to consult Edward Lear’s 1849 illustration of the Dolomphious duck (pictured) on the point of devouring its dinner. A ladle. Or a spork? Named after a Runcie or a Runcy? Robert Runcie polished silverware as butler for Lear’s patron the Earl of Derby, while Lear’s friend, George Runcy, polished up children’s manners by concocting up cutlery designs. But what about a runcible cat? Or Lear’s description of himself as a spherical form topped by a runcible hat?
The inverted logic of nonsense verse abandons words to mere sounds and inky squiggles. Lewis Carroll first wanted to publish The Jabberwocky – side-by-side John Tenniel’s drawings – as Alice first read it: inverted print which could only be read in reflection. His publishers Macmillan refused on financial grounds. But whether it might be Carroll’s nonsense poems, Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s medieval maidens or Apollinaire’s calligrams, the link between poetry and visual art is longstanding.
Founded in 1999 by a city lawyer, Poet in the City is a charity which works to promote poetry to new audiences. On the 20th of June it will host an event exploring the links between verse and illustration with the poets Simon Armitage and Colette Bryce. Also joining in the fun are the Observer’s political cartoonist Chris Riddell and Guardian Media Award winner and author of the graphic novel, The Rime of the Modern Mariner, Nick Hayes.
Although Blake-esque readings of Paradise Lost in the nude aren’t guaranteed, words and drawings will collide as the poets and illustrators create work live. And as semantics sail out to sea on a pea green boat, we can only be sure of one thing: What runcible gooses we are!
More information and details on how to book for the Poetry and Illustration event can be found here.
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