Dear Friends and Family,
Thank you for following me on my blog, London Flog. Welcome!
First, I would like to offer a brief explanation of the name of my blog. Before embarking on my three-month jaunt in London, I thought it fitting to read Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking-Glass. These classics are synonymous with British literature, and despite having majored in English literature, I had never actually read them (CMC was not fond of the fantastical, imaginative works).
Despite being an absolute treat to read, the latter of the two books introduced me to a new literary term: the portmanteau. In Through the Looking-Glass, Alice received a lesson from Humpty Dumpty on the meaning behind the language in Jabberwocky, most notably the combination of the words "slimy" and "lithe" to create "slithy," as well as "mimsy" from "miserable" and "flimsy."
"You see," remarked Humpty Dumpty, "it's like a portmanteau - there are two meanings packed up into one word."
Today, readers of People magazine might be familiar with the modern-day rendition of the portmanteau in "Brangelina" (Brad Pitt + Angelina Jolie). Hence, I combined the word most often associated with London -- fog -- with what I am writing -- a blog -- to create "Flog." Not nearly as clever as Carroll, but I hope you learned something new anyway.
Now, please join me on my journey. I do not promise anything as imaginative as Alice's adventures, but I do hope you acquire an image of London through the lens of my own looking glass.
Cheers!
Thank you for following me on my blog, London Flog. Welcome!
First, I would like to offer a brief explanation of the name of my blog. Before embarking on my three-month jaunt in London, I thought it fitting to read Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking-Glass. These classics are synonymous with British literature, and despite having majored in English literature, I had never actually read them (CMC was not fond of the fantastical, imaginative works).
Despite being an absolute treat to read, the latter of the two books introduced me to a new literary term: the portmanteau. In Through the Looking-Glass, Alice received a lesson from Humpty Dumpty on the meaning behind the language in Jabberwocky, most notably the combination of the words "slimy" and "lithe" to create "slithy," as well as "mimsy" from "miserable" and "flimsy."
"You see," remarked Humpty Dumpty, "it's like a portmanteau - there are two meanings packed up into one word."
Today, readers of People magazine might be familiar with the modern-day rendition of the portmanteau in "Brangelina" (Brad Pitt + Angelina Jolie). Hence, I combined the word most often associated with London -- fog -- with what I am writing -- a blog -- to create "Flog." Not nearly as clever as Carroll, but I hope you learned something new anyway.
Cheers!
Excited to join you on the journey! Look forward to more posts! (Nick)
ReplyDeleteLOVE your intro!! Somehow I new what Flog meant but had NO IDEA it was a portmanteau!!
ReplyDelete