Parodies of the works of English & American authors, vol. I — Inside the Classic

A Compiler's Method and Sources

Hamilton's preface reveals a deliberate editorial process: he altered the original plan to avoid monotony—for instance, spreading parodies of a single short poem like 'Excelsior' across multiple issues. He credits subscribers for loans of scarce books and copies, which made the collection more complete. The index, carefully compiled, cross-references parodies under the titles of original poems. This methodical approach suggests Hamilton aimed for scholarly utility rather than mere entertainment. The volume's front matter also includes a defense of parody from Isaac D'Israeli's Curiosities of Literature, framing parody as a critical tool that targets 'chimerical and false' elements in writing.

Local Allusions and Academic Parody

One excerpt features a parody of Longfellow's 'Song of Hiawatha' titled 'Piamater' by 'Alfred Longcove,' written for Edinburgh University's Tercentenary. The parody replaces Hiawatha's natural imagery with academic and local references: 'the scented smoke of segars,' 'the odours of the class-rooms,' and 'Bass's bittery beer.' It name-checks Edinburgh landmarks—'the Tron Kirk tower,' 'the Loch—great Duddingston,' 'the station of Haymarket'—and satirizes student life, including 'Webster's Unabridged and Walker's / Poet's Rhyming Dictionary.' Hamilton notes that some allusions are 'only of local interest,' indicating the parody's original audience was the university community.

The Role of the Public in Parody's Success

Hamilton's preface and the D'Israeli epigraph both emphasize that parody depends on public familiarity with the original. D'Israeli writes, 'unless the prototype is familiar to us, a parody is nothing!' The volume's commercial success—'a hit—a palpable hit'—confirmed this principle. Hamilton also includes a French quotation arguing that parody must target 'un ouvrage connu, célèbre, estimé.' The collection thus functions as a historical record of which poems were widely known in the 1880s. The inclusion of parodies from periodicals and pamphlets, like the Tercentenary booklet, shows how parody circulated in ephemeral print, often tied to specific events.

Readers approaching this volume should note that Hamilton's annotations and headnotes provide context for each parody, often identifying the original poem and the source of the parody. The index is essential for navigating the collection, as parodies of the same original are grouped together. Because the excerpts are incomplete, the full range of parodied authors and styles is not visible here, but the volume offers a snapshot of Victorian literary taste and the social function of parody as both critique and entertainment.

There’s something touching about Hamilton gathering all those parodies, each one a fond poke at a voice the Victorians knew by heart. It made me think of how we keep old humor close, the way Little Masterpieces of American Wit and Humor, Volume I — Text and Context preserves that same gentle knowingness. Somewhere between the lines, you can almost hear the original writers laughing along. Little Masterpieces of American Wit and Humor, Volume I — Text and Context feels like that same quiet shelf, waiting for a slow afternoon.