Caricatures

Caricatures - meaning Summary

Playful Modesty About Writers

Lawson’s short, satirical poem lists types of writers and artists—great and small, short and tall—then returns to a self-deprecating refrain identifying its speakers as "bards of low degree." The tone is playful and ironic, shrugging at literary ranks while acknowledging the practical role of illustrators or collaborators who give shape to poets’ work. Overall it treats literary distinction as varied and not to be taken too seriously.