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Lewis Carroll’s 28-line poem “Jabberwocky” first appeared in the opening chapter of his fantastical book for children, Through the Looking-Glass (1871). This book, which is the sequel to Carroll’s most famous work, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865), takes place in a mirror-world where everything is backward. The fantastical setting of Through the Looking-Glass helps explain the poem’s use of many made-up words, such as “brillig” and “frabjous.” Because Carroll invented many words in the poem, readers often think of “Jabberwocky” as an example of nonsense verse. However, it would be more appropriate to think of the poem as an example of light verse that doesn’t indulge in pure nonsense so much as it offers a distortion of sense. Despite the use of nonsensical—or “nonce”—words, the poem uses standard English grammar and syntax, which makes it possible for the reader to discern a clear story about a hero’s quest. In brief, the poem tells of a father who informs his son about a fierce creature called the Jabberwock. The son then sets out on a quest to slay the foul beast, and when he succeeds, his father celebrates. The poem’s use of ballad meter, along with its mostly regular ABAB rhyme scheme, contributes to its overall mock-serious tone.

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