Absurd Ditties

Farrow, G. E. (George Edward), 1866-Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 122K words
Chapters: 13

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Absurd Ditties by G. E. Farrow. Author: Farrow, G. E. (George Edward), 1866-. Language: English. Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature. Release Date: Oct 1, 2016

Editor's review

Absurd Ditties is a collection of comic English verse by G. E. Farrow, made available as a public-domain ebook by Project Gutenberg. "Ditties" are short songs or rhymes, and "absurd" signals the book's tone of nonsensical humor: such work typically draws its laughs from exaggerated imagination, delightfully irrational rhymes, and a light, bouncing rhythm, placing it in the tradition of light verse in English literature. Its value lies not in a deep system of thought but in the pleasure of wordplay itself, making it suitable as light reading for savoring the fun of English verse. For Chinese readers, the short pieces can be read in sections, making it easy to sample the style of English popular verse from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century in spare moments. If you are looking for a public-domain English book you can dip into without sitting up straight and formal, this little volume is a light choice; note, however, that it offers no systematic literary knowledge or plotted narrative.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Learners who want to read light English verse in spare moments
Readers interested in English verse and wordplay
Translators or teachers who need public-domain English source material
Casual readers who prefer humorous, absurd light reading

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a full plot or character-driven story
Those hoping to study English literary history systematically
Readers impatient with verse forms who prefer prose

Reading tips

Read three to five pieces at a time; don't rush to finish, and focus on feeling the rhythm and rhyme.
Guess unfamiliar expressions from context first and look them up after reading, to preserve the pleasure of reading.
Try reading aloud; the humor of absurd verse is often easier to sense at the level of sound.
For language study, you can note down rhyme pairings you like and imitate them by rewriting a line or two.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What kind of work is this book?

It is a collection of comic English short verse by G. E. Farrow; the title means roughly "absurd little tunes," and it creates humor through exaggerated imagination and light rhyme. It belongs to light verse in English literature rather than being a story with a continuous plot.

How difficult is the English, and is it suitable for learning English?

The work consists mainly of short verse, with each piece not long, so it works as light English reading material; however, verse often deliberately uses odd words and unconventional collocations, and some expressions need checking, so it suits readers with some English foundation who are reading out of interest.

Are there any points to note when using the electronic edition?

The book comes from Project Gutenberg and is a free public-domain ebook, usually available in several download formats. The layout is mainly plain text, and on some readers you may need to adjust font size or line spacing to get a better reading experience for the line breaks in the poems.

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About the author

Farrow, G. E. (George Edward), 1866- Author

George Edward Farrow (1866–) was a British writer of children's literature. Public information about him is limited, and few details of his life survive. Seven of his works are held in the collection: Adventures in Wallypug-Land, The Missing Prince, Absurd Ditties, Dick, Marjorie and Fidge: A Search for the Wonderful Dodo, The Wallypug in London, The Jungle Baby, and The Mysterious Shin Shira. These are mainly children's novels, with some humorous verse, and most revolve around imaginary lands, eccentric characters, and children's adventures. The "Wallypug," recurring in several titles, is among his better-known creations. Farrow's writing is fanciful and playful in tone, engaging young readers through absurd plots and light, easy prose. He holds a modest place in British children's literature of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and has had some influence on later fantasy writing for children.