What is a Clerihew?
First an example... Father Brown |
The clerihew is a four-line poem with a rhyming scheme
of AABB. The first line traditionally is, or ends in, a person's name;
the meter is often mangled, if not ignored altogether; and the overall
intent of the poem stresses entertainment over instruction, humor over
fact. The term "clerihew" comes from Edmund Clerihew Bentley, who wrote the first known clerihew as a schoolboy. He went on to produce, under the name E. Clerihew B.A. (and with a little help from schoolmate G. K. Chesterton) a collection of clerihews called Biography for Beginners (1905). Bentley is also known for his groundbreaking mystery novel, Trent's Last Case (1911), which helped make plot and character as important as the puzzle in English detective fiction. |