Jabberwocky

poem by Carroll

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July 23, 2026

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"Jabberwocky" is a famous nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll, featured in his novel Through the Looking-Glass. The poem tells the story of a father warning his son about a fearsome monster, the Jabberwock, which the son then slays with a "vorpal blade."1

The poem is a prime example of nonsense verse, characterized by its invented words, such as "brillig," "frabjous," and "mimsy." These coined words, known as portmanteau words, have no inherent meaning but invite imaginative interpretation. The term "jabberwocky" itself has come to mean meaningless speech or writing.23145

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Jabberwock
…in the nonsense poem “Jabberwocky,” which appears in the novel Through the Looking-Glass (1871) by Lewis Carroll. Alice, the heroine of the story, discovers this mock-epic poem in a book that she can read only when it is reflected in a mirror. In the poem, a father cautions his…
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…in the nonsense poem “Jabberwocky,” which appears in the novel Through the Looking-Glass (1871) by Lewis Carroll. Alice, the heroine of the story, discovers this mock-epic poem in a book that she can read only when it is reflected in a mirror. In the poem, a father cautions his…
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nonce word
…include Lewis Carroll’s poem “Jabberwocky” (1871) and James Joyce’s novel Finnegans Wake (1939). Compare portmanteau word.
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…include Lewis Carroll’s poem “Jabberwocky” (1871) and James Joyce’s novel Finnegans Wake (1939). Compare portmanteau word.
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nonsense verse
““Jabberwocky,” from Through the Looking-Glass, may be the best-known example of nonsense verse. It begins:
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““Jabberwocky,” from Through the Looking-Glass, may be the best-known example of nonsense verse. It begins:
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portmanteau word
…to the nonsense poem “Jabberwocky,” which begins
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…to the nonsense poem “Jabberwocky,” which begins
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