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The first of April; by William Combe, book cover
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The first of April;

by William Combe

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Under 100
Pages
23
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About this book

An April morning becomes the setting for a dreamlike festival where Folly presides over a crowd of fashionable admirers. William Combe's eighteenth-century poem leads its narrator into a hall crowded with gaudy decorations, distorted paintings and noisy celebrations. Figures from public life appear among the examples of wisdom weakened by ambition, while April himself enters as a flower-crowned boy riding a bull.

The dedication addresses a duchess with pointed advice about generosity and the responsibilities of wealth. In the verse, guests bring offerings to Folly's altar, surrendering good sense, family duties and dignity in return for her approval. Rhyming couplets turn this imagined ceremony into a satire of social display and misplaced priorities.

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William Combe Open the author page

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Book facts

Reading time
About 30 minutes
Pages
23
Language
English
Genre
Satire
Formats
PDF, EPUB, Read online