The Owl and the Pussy-Cat

Quiz: The Owl and the Pussy-Cat by Edward Lear

1. Recall – Form & Publication: In what collection was The Owl and the Pussy-Cat first published, and in what year?

1. Recall – Context: For whom did Edward Lear originally write this poem, and what was his relationship to that person?

1. Recall – Plot: What practical obstacle prevents the Owl and the Pussy-Cat from getting married immediately, and how do they solve it?

1. Recall – Key Image: What is unusual about the origin of the couple's wedding ring, and what does this detail contribute to the poem's tone?

1. Recall – Key Image: What invented object does the couple use during their celebratory meal, and what does Lear's use of a made-up word for it suggest about the poem's relationship with language?

1. Comprehension – Symbolism: What does the pea-green boat symbolize in the poem, and how does it relate to the theme of love?

1. Comprehension – Symbolism: The moon appears at two distinct moments in the poem. Identify both moments and explain what role the moon plays across the narrative as a whole.

1. Analysis – Tone: The analysis describes Lear's tone as "completely sincere." How does this sincerity, applied equally to the love story and to absurd details like a turkey officiating a wedding, strengthen the poem's humor and charm?

1. Analysis – Theme: The land where the Bong-tree grows is described as a destination "without specific coordinates." What does this imaginary geography suggest about the nature of love as a theme in the poem?

1. Analysis – Biographical Context: Lear spent much of his life feeling like a lonely outsider, and his nonsense writing is often read as a vision of a kinder, more accepting world. Using evidence from the poem's plot and symbols, explain how The Owl and the Pussy-Cat supports this interpretation.

Answer Key

1. The poem was first published in 1871 in Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany, and Alphabets.

1. Lear wrote it in 1867 for Janet Symonds, the young daughter of his friend John Addington Symonds.

1. The couple have no ring. They solve the problem by journeying to find a pig, from whose nose they obtain a ring.

1. The ring comes from a pig's nose, which is absurd and comic, yet Lear treats the transaction as straightforward and polite—reinforcing the poem's warm, playful tone and its faith in love's ability to overcome odd obstacles.

1. The couple eat with a "runcible spoon," a word Lear invented. This suggests that in the poem's world, meaning and delight arise from sound and imagination rather than strict linguistic rules, mirroring the broader nonsense tradition.

1. The pea-green boat symbolizes the couple's private, quirky world — small and particular — that carries them away from ordinary life into a space where their unlikely love is entirely natural.

1. The moon first appears as the audience for the Owl's love song, and later as the light beneath which the couple dances after their wedding. By witnessing both the declaration of love and its joyful celebration, the moon connects the beginning and end of the romance, serving as a constant, gentle witness.

1. Because Lear never signals that anything is ridiculous, the reader cannot maintain ironic distance. The sincerity invites genuine investment in the romance, making the absurd details charming rather than merely silly, and the humor lands because it is never undercut by self-awareness.

1. It suggests that love operates in its own geography—a realm beyond the everyday where impossible pairings and unconventional happiness become natural. Love, the poem implies, requires (and creates) its own space outside mundane reality.

1. The poem imagines two natural enemies (an owl and a cat) falling deeply in love, overcoming obstacles with ease, and being welcomed by the world around them (the obliging pig, the officiating turkey). Every symbol—the boat that shelters them, the ring that unites them, the moonlit beach where they dance—points to a universe that accepts and celebrates outsiders. This reflects Lear's personal longing for a warmer, more inclusive world than the one he experienced.