The Comedic Clerihew

The Comical Clerihew

The Cleriwho? Er, WHAT?!

If you’re asking that question right now, just think David Letterman or Jerry Seinfeld in rhyming couplets.

The Clerihew is named for the English detective-story author Edmund Clerihew Bentley, its creator. This form can be traced back to 1905 when Bentley published a collection of them titled Biography For Beginners. It’s been said that he began to write them as a way to relax from the rigors of class work at the age of sixteen.

This form consists of four lines of any length or meter. The rhyme scheme is:

A
A
B
B

Generally speaking, when creating a Clerihew you want to go for wit, sarcasm, irony and just plain silliness.

When Bentley first created the form they featured a name in the first line and ended it with the witty punch-line/gag but you can ridicule anything, so get don't bogged down by that.

Here is an example of one of the first known Clerihew's:

Sir Humphrey Davy
Abominated gravy.
He lived in the odium
Of having discovered sodium.

Edmund Clerihew Bentley (1875-1956)


For Writing.Com examples check out the campfire and forum links below.


Have fun! Start with ridiculing your siblings and end up by penning wittiness about the Pope.


The Poet Clerihew Campfire: "Comedic Clerihew - The Campfire" 


Other Clerihew links:

http://www.gilbertmagazine.com/sample_issue/12_35_ccorner.htm
http://www.xrefer.com/entry/168406
http://www.romedome.com/poetry/sciflerihews/campy_clerihews.htm
http://thinks.com/words/clerihew.htm
http://www.gigglepoetry.com/poetryclass/clerihew.htm
http://www.quinion.com/words/weirdwords/ww-cle1.htm



For more poetical type info click here: "A Poet's Tool Box" 


***Featured in the 01/20/2005 edition of the Comedy newsletter***