Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind the Rhyme
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.93 (625 Votes) |
| Asin | : | B001G8WV8Y |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 224 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-02-12 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
. He incorporated these stories into his tours, which became the inspiration for the book. Chris Roberts is a librarian in South London and sometime walking tour guide in London
Marilee S. said Five Stars. Another explanation of Mother Goose origins. "Fun, light reading" according to dephal. This book makes for fun and light reading, perfect for those bits and pieces of time when you're waiting for an appointment. The author's approach is interesting and engaging, and the book helpfully provides a glossary to help non-Brits understand the Britishisms. Unfortunately, the book also left me wanting more information in several places, and sometimes the author sacrifices data in favor of humor (and he has an annoying obsession with football). Still, a painless way to learn about common nursery rhymes.. "Heavy words lightly thrown" according to Heidi Reed. Explains the meanings of many nursery rhymes but goes off on tangents of English history etc, which makes it a bit confusing.
Was Little Jack Horner a squatter? "Baa Baa Black Sheep" a bleat about taxation? What did Jack and Jill do on that hill? Who was Mary? And why was she contrary? This witty and ingenious book delves into the hidden meanings of forty of the most innocuous- sounding nursery rhymes, uncovering a seething subtext of sexual innuendo, religious hatred, and political subversion. Striking and spooky silhouettes of nursery rhyme characters accompany the rhymes. You’ll never see Mother Goose in the same way again.. Heavy Words Lightly Thrown provides a fascinating history lesson, teases out some alarming Freudian interpretations, and makes astonishing connections to contemporary pop
Roberts's intimate knowledge of London history is perfectly suited to his discussions of "London Bridge Is Falling Down" and "Pop Goes the Weasel." As any good historian of oral culture ought, Roberts intelligently admits that many rhymes have open-ended meanings subject to multiple interpretations. Unlocking the secret meanings of the past, Roberts also finds plenty of refreshingly straightforward modern-day analogies for the nursery rhymes—the chanted taunts of the average British soccer fan illustrate certain rhymes' original tone and purpose. His reading of "Hark, Hark, the Dogs Do Bark," for example, starts out by describing Elizabethan mass vagrancy, proceeds to anatomize 17