Limerature 101: Literary Classics in Five Lines or Less (With Pictures)

The Western literary tradition begins with ancient Greek and Roman epics, winds its way through Milton, Shakespeare, and Dickens, and to where we find it today, a rich and beautiful catalog of the human experience. But to read all of that is just so much, well, reading, and who has the time or the energy? Lance Hansen does, and he’s successfully combined an encyclopedic knowledge of literature with pithy criticism, the skills of a poet, and the artistic eye of a cartoonist to create Limerature 101: Literary Classics in Five Lines or Less (With Pictures).Presenting more than 60 of the great works of literature, summarized and satirized as jaunty, hilarious limericks, and with accompanying illustrations of their legendary creators.

Presented as the text of a full-year university-level literature course, Limerature 101 takes readers on an informative but savagely humorous journey through the history of literature. The well-read and literarily curious will devour Hansen’s takes on “Ancient and Influential Voices” (The Epic of Gilgamesh, Pride and Prejudice), “Titans of Global Literature” (The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Unbearable Lightness of Being), “American Revolutionaries” (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Catch-22), and “Modernists and Populists” (The Crying of Lot 49, Gone Girl). And each limerick is accompanied with an original, hand-drawn portrait by the author.

ADVANCED PRAISE

“A clever and funny read. Lance Hansen is a treasure!” —-Noah Van Scriver

“This book is smart, clever and funny — all the things I am not. I hate Lance Hansen!” —-John Ficarra

“Charming and hilarious.” —-Barry Blitt

“Lance Hansen has created a wonderfully entertaining book of limericks. His insightfully clever poems accompanied by elegant line portraits makes this truly a feast for lovers of literature and drawing.” —-Joe Ciardiello

“Love great literature, but hate all those goddamn words? With Limerature 101, Lance Hansen has your back.” —-Michael Gerber, Editor, The American Bystander