The Merry-Thought: or the Glass-Window and Bog-House Miscellany by Hurlo Thrumbo

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

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The Merry-Thought

is a collection of inscriptions from public houses, taverns, and boghouses (toilettes) throughout England in the early eighteenth century.

The name of its psedonymous author, “Hurlo Thrumbo”, derives from the dramatic work Hurlothrumbo; or, The super-natural (1729), a popular compilation of singing, dancing and nonsense written by Samuel Johnson, a “dancing-master of Cheshire” (1691-1773). The collection is dedicated to the printer, “J. Roberts of Warwick Lane”, which gives modern scholars reason to inquire whether the editor was in fact the famous writer and lexicographer Samuel Johnson, or the printer John Roberts, or an unknown person.

The name of its psedonymous author, “Hurlo Thrumbo”, derives from the dramatic work

Hurlothrumbo; or, The super-natural

1548 words

Citation: Kısmet Bell, Jameson. "The Merry-Thought: or the Glass-Window and Bog-House Miscellany by Hurlo Thrumbo". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 September 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19740, accessed 31 October 2024.]

19740 The Merry-Thought: or the Glass-Window and Bog-House Miscellany by Hurlo Thrumbo 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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