Limericks

Limericks are considered a specific genre of poem that contain an aabba rhyme scheme with some type of funny connotation to them. Also, in order to make a poem a full fledged limerick, it must contain 7, 8 or 9 syllables in all of the “a” rhymed lines and contain 5 or 6 syllables in all of the “b” rhymed lines. If the first “a” rhymed line is 7 syllables then the other “a” lines must follow suit. The same goes for the “b” rhymed lines as well. If the first “b” rhymed line is 6 syllables then the next one must be the same. Also, the last “a” rhymed line in a limerick is considered the punch line, providing the last crucial element of humor which makes the audience laugh. Here is an example of a limerick:

There was a young lady of Niger

who smiled as she rode on a tiger;

They returned from the ride

with the lady inside,

and the smile on the face of the tiger.

—attributed to Edward Lear and William Cosmo Monkhouse

Limericks are seen as the funny aspect of poetry; They get the reader laughing rather than thinking. Limericks bring in this different aspect of poetry and attribute to a funny sub genre of poetry while still maintaining specific structure. Gershon Legman and many other poets describe true limericks as those that contain obscene content, to make them more comical. That the violation of taboo is part of its function.

History
The first seen structures of the limerick took place in Limerick, Ireland where many of the inhabitants told stories of adventures in the limerick structure. The limericks told in this city did not gain too much renown until a man by the name of Edward Lear found some original limericks and decided to imitate them and bring these limericks to America. It is seen in his book A Book of Nonsense and is where limericks popularity started. For this reason many falsely believe that Edward Lear created the first limerick, however he was simply copying the work of those in Limerick, Ireland who had already created this aabba structure. Lear even admits that the first limerick he found that was his inspiration for imitation was:

There was a sick man of Tobago

Liv’d long on rice gruel and sago

But at last to his bliss

The physician said this

To a roast leg of mutton you may go

Many writers caught wind of Lear's use of limericks and they spread because of there popularity and ease of creating. With limericks growing popularity among the public, newspapers started holding contests for the best limericks.

Effects of Humor and Rhyme
Limericks are based solely on their inclusion of a rhyme scheme. Many writers make these rhymes have a humorous meaning to them and for good reason. Multiple experiments have been held to show that using limericks can affect the listeners’ perspective and ability to memorize. The first experiment was one in which they played to passages for the subjects, one starting with a humorous limerick and the other starting with a non-humorous limerick. Its results showed that in this experiment people had an easier time memorizing the passage that began with the humorous limerick. This experiment was followed up by another where the limericks were at the end of the passages instead of at the beginning. This experiment was shown to have the same general results. The passage with the humorous limerick was memorized with greater accuracy. These experiments and results were published in the Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research. The next experiment held is unrelated to the first two. It is an experiment to test which part of the limericks readers are most susceptive to finding errors in. The subjects in this experiment showed that readers are most susceptive to violations in the rhyme scheme, this is another example to show that humor and rhyme can affect a person mentally and how they perceive things.

Past Traditional Uses
Although limericks are seen by many as a simple laugh, some artists in the past used limericks to make themselves famous. For instance a man by the name of W.S. Gilbert took a different approach in his use of limericks; He used limericks as the lyrics for some of his operas. One specific Opera Gilbert used limericks in was the Savoy Opera, where every verse was a limerick. Here is a short verse from “ A man who would woo a fair made.”

A man who would woo a fair maid,

Should 'prentice himself to the trade;

And study all day,

In methodical way,

How to flatter, cajole, and persuade.

He should 'prentice himself at fourteen

And practise from morning to e'en;

And when he's of age,

If he will, I'll engage,

He may capture the heart of a queen!

These structure of words were very important for Gilbert who used limericks in a good number of his pieces.