Pontine Theatre to Premiere THE HUNTING OF THE SNARK & OTHER NONSENSE This Spring
By: BWW News Desk Apr. 15, 2015
In 1876, following the success of the Alice books, Carroll produced The Hunting of the Snark, a fantastical nonsense poem that follows the misbegotten voyage of a misfit crew of tradesmen, plus one beaver, who set off in pursuit of the mythical Snark.
The plot follows the voyage of a crew of ten who are out to hunt the Snark. Each of them represent a trade beginning with the letter "B." The Bellman is the leader of the crew. Other members include a Boots (shoe shine), a Bonnet-maker, a Barrister, a Broker, a Billiard-marker, a Banker, a Butcher, and a Baker. There's also a Beaver, "who paces the deck, or who sits making lace in the bow."
After crossing the sea, following the Bellman's blank map of the ocean, the crew arrives in a strange land where they begin their hunt for the Snark. The Bellman warns them that some Snarks are extremely dangerous Boojums, and the Baker recalls that his uncle once warned him that if the Snark is a Boojum, the hunter will "softly and suddenly vanish away, and never be met with again." During the hunt, one crew member meets with a Bandersnatch, and another finally encounters the fabled Snark.
On the afternoon of July 18, 1874 The Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, Lewis Carroll, went for a stroll, in his own words:
I was walking on a hillside, alone, one bright summer day, when suddenly there came into my head one line of verse--one solitary line--"For the snark was a Boojum, you see." I knew not what it meant, then: I know not what it means, now; but I wrote it down: and, some time afterwards, the rest of the stanza occured to me, that being the last line; and so by degrees, at odd moments during the next year or two, the rest of the poem pieced itself together, that being its last stanza.
The Hunting of the Snark received mixed reactions from contemporary reviewers. One critic described it as "the most bewildering of modern poetry," while another praised it as a "glorious piece of nonsense." Carroll denied knowing the meaning behind his poem however, in an 1896 letter, he agreed with one interpretation as an allegory for the search for happiness.
"In answer to your question what do you mean the snark was? Well tell your friend that the Snark was a Boojum. I trust that she and you will now feel quite satisfied and happy. To the best of my recollection I had no other meaning in my mind when I wrote it; but people since have tried to find meanings in it. The one I like the best (which I think is partly my own) is that it may be taken for an allegory for the pursuit of happiness".
In Pontine's newest work "The Snark" and other Carroll favorites, are brought imaginatively to life with projected images and with Victorian-style Toy Theatre figures inspired by the popular 19th century parlor entertainment. The production is performed by Co-Artistic Directors, Greg Gathers and Marguerite Mathews. The Toy Theatre figures, set, projected images and costumes are designed and created by Mr. Gathers.
Performances are offered Fridays at 7:30, Saturdays at 4 & Sundays at 2. Tickets are $24 and may be purchased online at www.pontine.org. Pontine's West End Studio Theatre is located at 959 Islington Street, Portsmouth NH. For more, email info@pontine.org or call 603-436-6660.
Lewis Carroll was born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson in 1832, in Daresbury, Cheshire, England. The son of a clergyman, Carroll graduated from Christ Church College, Oxford in 1854. He was successful in his study of mathematics and writing, and remained at the college after graduation to teach. Carroll was ordained as a deacon; however, he never preached. He also began to pursue photography, often choosing children as the subject of his portraits. One of his favorite models was a young girl named Alice Liddell, the daughter of the Dean at Christ's Church, who later became the basis for Carroll's fictional character, Alice.
He continued to teach at Christ Church until 1881, and remained in residence there until his death. He published Through the Looking-Glass and what Alice found there in 1872, his great Joycean mock-epic The Hunting of the Snark, in 1876, and his last novel the two volume Sylvie and Bruno in 1889 and 1893 respectively. He also published many mathematical papers under his own name.
In 1898, Charles Dodgson died of pneumonia at his sisters' home in Guildford, England. The local clergyman summarized Carroll's gifts in his sermon: "The brilliant, venturesome imagination, defying forecast with ever fresh surprise; the sense of humour in its finest and most naive form; the power to touch with lightest hand the undercurrent of pathos in the midst of fun; the audacity of creative fancy, and the delicacy of insight--these are rare gifts; and surely they were his."
Now celebrating its 37th season, Pontine Theatre is known throughout New England for its original works based on the culture and literature of the region. Co-Directors, Greg Gathers and Marguerite Mathews, bring history to life onstage through storytelling, puppetry, toy theatre, projected images and more. New Hampshire Magazine says, "Pontine Theatre is a small miracle. Mathews and Gathers conspire to fascinate the contemporary mind with original works based upon stories and literature of New England. There's really nothing else like it anywhere.
Photo Credit: Andrew Edgar
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