William Makepeace Thackeray,
Born, July 18, 1811. | Died, Dec. 24, 1863.
eparting from the plan hitherto adopted in this collection, Thackeray will have to be considered not only as the author of many poems which have formed the bases of parodies, but also as himself the writer of almost innumerable parodies and burlesques, both in verse and in prose. Having, indeed, such a natural penchant for travestie that he would rather parody himself, than remain long serious, or philosophical. One of his early friends and schoolfellows wrote of him, that, when quite a boy at the Charterhouse School, “he was known for his faculty of making verses, chiefly parodies.”
I only remember one, a parody on a poem by L. E. L. about ‘Violets, dark blue violets,’ which Thackeray translated into ‘Cabbages, bright green cabbages,’ and we thought it very witty.”
This parody will be given later on, but considerations of space render it necessary to be sparing of comment on Thackeray’s work as a parodist; some of his best poetical parodies will be given, as well as a list of his prose burlesques. But for historical details of these famous jeux d’esprit, with explanations of the allusions contained in them, the reader can be confidently recommended to turn to Anthony Trollope’s charming volume on Thackeray, in the “English Men of Letters” series, published by Macmillan & Co., London.
Certainly, as Anthony Trollope therein remarks, no writer ever had a stronger proclivity towards parody than Thackeray, and there is no form of literary drollery more dangerous. The parody will often mar the gem of which it coarsely reproduces the outward semblance.
But it must be acknowledged of Thackeray, that he has done little or no injury by his parodies. They run over with fun, but are so contrived that they do not lessen the flavour of the original. In the little set of verses of his own, called The Willow Tree, and his own parody on the same, we see how effective a parody may be in destroying the sentiment of the piece parodied.
But in dealing with other authors, he has been grotesque without being severely critical, and has been very like, without making ugly or distasteful that which he has imitated.
Violets.