The Legend of the Sea-Sick Sea-Gull
A herring gull grows tired of the constant motion of the sea, which leaves him sea-sick. He declares his intention to abandon the ocean, go ashore, and settle in a peaceful country town, where he pictures himself wearing carpet-slippers while drinking china tea.
By Hugh Lofting · Genre: Poetry, Children's Literature, Humorous Fiction · 62 words
First lines
Once there was a herring gull / Who found the ocean very dull / Said he, "I'm always sea-sick on the silly rolling sea.
"I'll go ashore and settle down / In some peaceful country town / And wear my carpet-slippers when I drink my china tea. "
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Genres
- Poetry — The work is structured as verse with regular rhyme scheme and metrical rhythm, employing poetic devices characteristic of light verse and narrative poetry.
- Children's Literature — Written by Hugh Lofting, creator of Doctor Dolittle; features whimsical talking animals and accessible language designed for young audiences, with fantastical premises presented in a playful manner.
- Humorous Fiction — The central conceit of a sea-sick sea-gull and the absurdist image of wearing carpet-slippers while drinking china tea create comedic effect through irony and incongruity.
- Fantasy — Features a talking animal character with human thoughts and desires, inhabiting a world where non-human creatures express agency and emotion in human terms.
Tags
animals · adventure · fantasy · whimsical · maritime · birds · seagull · ocean · humor · legend · journey · anthropomorphic
What this Textopian page supports
The Legend of the Sea-Sick Sea-Gull is listed on Textopian as a fable by Hugh Lofting, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Fable
- Author: Hugh Lofting
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Children's Literature, Humorous Fiction, Fantasy, Animal Fiction
- Length: 62 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
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- Work identity for The Legend of the Sea-Sick Sea-Gull by Hugh Lofting
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