'Humpty and the Messenger'- Messrs Lear and De-Vere were here...

          'Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

          Humpty Dumpty had a great fall 

          Four-score Men and Four score more

          Could not make Humpty Dumpty where he was before.'

Samuel Arnold's Juvenile Amusements in 1797 

Dear Emily,

Humpty Dumpty as a Nursery-rhyme has been around for a very long time. Charles Dodgson would have known perhaps the version above as a child. It was thought that the verse derived from one that lampooned Richard the third, a hump-back ( Humpty. )

Edward Lear, we have discussed before. Born 20 years earlier than Dodgson, and with his 'Book of Nonsense' published when Dodgson was in his mid-twenties, he was well-known and liked in the circles that Charles Dodgson wished to move.

Lear did not care for his own appearance, describing himself as 'spherical' very short sighted, and he walked with a stoop.
The photograph above shows a dapper Lear at the time Dodgson was writing Alice in 1862. His hair is thinning ( he was to go bald ) and at the time that 'Through the Looking Glass' was penned, Emily Tennyson and Lear were close friends, he often writing to her in his humourously self-depracating manner, joining words together and explaining- 'you are by now used to my ways'. Dodgson despite all his efforts, was not. A fastidious, easily offended bachelor, it is interesting to consider how he may have felt about the 'adorable' protagionist for nonsense-rhyme, Edward Lear. Dodgson doesn't speak about him to others, and Lear never once mentions his name to Emily in his copious correspondences. But they would certainly have been aware of each other.

Another Poet who frequented the lauded 'Tennyson circle' was Aubrey de Vere ( photographed here by our own Julia Margaret Cameron in the critical period of our interest. )

Irish-born Aubrey,  son of a poet - Aubrey de Vere de Vere - who sensibly dropped the repeat by royal license, was born in 1814. Described by the 'Irish monthly journal' as:- 'tall and slender with a calm dignified presence and sense of humour' Lear was not so enamoured with this particular buddy of Tennyson. He writes to Emily "Nor do I care, for Aubrey de Vere....He mooneth about, moodily".
In 1844 'In search of Proserpine' was published.

( Antistrophe )

' Sullen skies today,

Sunny skies tomorrow,

November steals from May,

And May from her doth borrow"

Close friend of Tennyson, Aubrey was often at Freshwater. Though Alfred was known for his resonating, booming voice, de Vere records that he would sit whilst the post was declaiming looking over his shoulder so that he could read his manuscript when his voice faltered. No-one else appeared to have trouble hearing AT, so perhaps our Aubrey was a little deaf.

Dodgson records in his diary on September 30th 1863 Bought De Vere's 'Search after Proserpine'

In 'Alice in Wonderland' we are introduced to the story in May, whereas Through the Looking Glass' begins in November. Humpty Dumpty beguiles Alice in his 'beautiful belt' or perhaps 'cravat' she cannot work out where it sits on his spherical body. Humpty takes offense at this criticism of his dress, and their discourse rambles from how important he is to the King, to how he pays words extra when he uses them together 'impenetrability' being the example. He boasts of himself that he can explain all poems. After explaining 'Jabberwocky' he tests Alice's patience with yet another poem and introduces it with-

'In winter when the fields are white,

I sing this song for your delight-'

The story goes on, introducing The Messenger to whom Humpty has to shout to in his ear.

Another day, dear Em's we shall look at the verse in 'Looking Glass' in more depth. But for now we shall continue our little journey through the Freshwater characters and their muse-value to Dodgson.

Your ever-loving Grand-mother GiGi xxx

photograph of Edward Lear by kind permission of National Portrait Gallery,