Christopher Smart’s “Jubilate Agno” was quite possibly the most ridiculous piece of work we’ve read in this class. I understand that Smart was intending to write something “crammed with puns” (2874). However, this excerpt comes across as more stupid than funny. It’s like he was trying way too hard to be funny, like that lame friend that everyone had in high school. The “ten degrees” that the cat performs are longwinded and offer little significance to the overall work, while the parts that could be deep in meaning are simply glossed over.
For example, Smart states that the cat “is an instrument for the children to learn benevolence upon”(32). As he has been comparing the cat to God, this line carries a greater meaning. Does he also mean that God is just an entity parents use to teach children to be good? This would be an interesting point, but Smart doesn’t pursue it in any way; he’s too busy trying (and failing) to be witty.
Hey Cherise,
ReplyDeleteI think this poem was lovely in both content and form. Think of the skill it must take to create those many puns... Also, the fact that it is just a manuscript must be taken into account. This is likely the first-draft of Christopher Smart's work and he was still able to maintain the call-and-response pattern in lines 1-158. Perhaps the best response to your post, though, would be to note that Christopher Smart authored this while locked up in a Madhouse. All things considered, his failure in being witty may stem from the fact that he is quite possibly insane and I think it is quite mean of you to pick on the poor man for something he cannot control.