The Hunting of the Snark

Illustrated by Henry Holiday, The Hunting of the Snark (An Agony in 8 Fits) is typically categorized as a nonsense poem. The poem borrows the setting, some creatures, and eight portmanteau words from Carroll's earlier poem 'Jabberwocky' in 'Through the Looking Glass'. The plot follows a crew of ten trying to hunt the Snark, an animal which may turn out to be a highly dangerous Boojum; the only one of the crew to find the Snark quickly vanishes, leading the narrator to explain that it was a Boojum after all.