Limerosity: An Anapestic Journey through Western Literature

Limerosity is an anapestic journey, a collection of limericks inspired by well-known figures in the (mostly) western literary canon.

From the Author:

A limerick is a verse form-five lines of generally iambic or anapestic verse, with a rhyme scheme of AABBA. The origin of the limerick is a bit of a mystery, though it may be fairly recent as verse forms go. The form seems to have crystallized with Edward Lear and W. S. Gilbert in the Nineteenth century.

I have modified the standard form a bit, eliminating punctuation and right justifying the lines. I think of the limerick as a verse form, not a poem. Verse has a beginning and an ending, and leads the reader to a conclusion. A poem does not.

Limericks, and this may be one of the secrets to their popularity over the years, are a perfect expression of comic construction. So, as you read these limericks, possibly you may discover some literary intention. But mostly I hope you uncover a few smiles.