Description
Book SynopsisIn his introduction to Liberating the Limerick, Ernest Lefever, founding president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, says that many of the 230 irresistible classics in the book reflect facets of truth and virtue wrapped in the garments of irony and caricature. Contrary to the widespread myth, these verses lay bare the foibles of the human drama with wit and irony and without slithering into the gutter. The book is enriched by fifteen New Yorker cartoons. Read the recent Washington Times review.
Trade ReviewA tireless man named Lefever With limericks did beaver and beaver, Producing a tome You'll want in your home It's delicious and deucedly cleever..... -- Christopher Buckley
In an often uncharming era, Ernest Lefever has graciously revived one of the most charming word plays. -- Georgie Anne Geyer, author of Where Cats Reigned Like Kings
At last, a book that not only resurrects the limerick, but will give anyone fond of politics and social commentary something to laugh about again. -- Anne Applebaum, author of The Gulag: A History
Reading these limericks will soon have you laughing out loud, and begging your friends, 'listen to this one!' -- Michael Novak, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Human Rights Commission, 1994 Templeton laureate
Amazingly, Ernest Lefever proves that clean limericks can be funny. -- Charles Murray, co-author of The Bell Curve
Startlingly wholesome and full of fun. -- Ben Stein
A tireless man named Lefever With limericks did beaver and beaver, Producing a tome You'll want in your home It's delicious and deucedly cleever. -- Christopher Buckley
A playful form with a naughty history is here served up for (mostly) innocent fun. -- Richard John Neuhaus, The Institute on Religion and Public Life; Editor, FIRST THINGS
This nifty little book is proof positive that English, the rollicking language of laughter, is one of the Great Wonders of the World. -- George Weigel
Though the book is conservative in its approach, it will likely resonate across partisan and ideological boundaries. Because of the sheer fun and smarts of Mr. Lefever's selections, readers will return to the volume again and again...This is a book that most certainly contributes to our appreciation of serious literature. -- Carol Herman, The Washington Times
My interest in limericks stems from my childhood when I ran about the house reciting Lear and making up verses of my own. While researching a book about limericks, I read more than 9,000 verses. The overwhelming majority embraced the seamy stereotype, but a small minority were wise, hilarious and often sexy without being obscene. Their authors addressed the range of human experience - from psychology and politics, to science and religion, to culture and the arts - with humor and wisdom. It became clear that limericks can transcend the naughty and serve as a vehicle for self-understanding, political wisdon and insight into religion, science and the arts. -- Ernest W. LeFever * Los Angeles Times *
Table of Contents1 Introduction: The Enduring Limerick 2 Battle of the Sexes 3 Religion and Philosphy 4 Padres and Preachers 5 History 6 Politics 7 Language and Literature 8 Music and the Arts 9 Science and Technology 10 Manners and Morals 11 Food and Drink 12 Freudian Quips 13 Death and Dying 14 Celebrities 15 Man and Beast 16 Sheer Nonsense 17 Sources and Credits 18 Author Index
