Little Miss Muffet

= Little Miss Muffet =

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"Little Miss Muffet" is a nursery rhyme, one of the most commonly printed in the mid-twentieth century.[1] It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 20605.

'''Lyrics Origins and meaning '''The rhyme first appeared in print in 1805, in a book titled Songs for the Nursery. Like many such rhymes, its origins are unclear. Some claim it was written by Dr Thomas Muffet (d.1604), an English physician and entomologist, regarding his stepdaughter Patience; others claim it refers to Mary, Queen of Scots (1543–87), who was said to have been frightened by religious reformer John Knox (1510–72).[3] The first explanation is speculative, and the latter is doubted by most literary scholars, who note that stories linking folk tales or songs to political events are often urban legends.[1] Several novels and films, including Along Came a Spider, take their titles from the poem's crucial line. '''Alternative lyrics '''There is an alternative set of lyrics which has been taught in some countries where whey is not a common foodstuff.[4] In the nineteenth century the rhyme existed in many alternative versions, including: 'Little Mary Ester, Sat upon a tester' (1812) and 'Little Miss Mopsey, Sat in the shopsey' (1842). These rhymes may be parodies of whichever is the original.[1]'''See also  References  External links '''
 * Little Miss Muffet in art
 * The "Little Miss Muffet" scenario explained by Denslow
 * 1940 WPA poster using "Little Miss Muffet" to promote reading among children.
 * Little Miss Muffetby Sir John Everett Millais
 * Arachnophobia
 * Itsy Bitsy Spider
 * 1) Earlier versions mention ″little spider.″ See, e.g.: Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes. A Collection of Alphabets, Rhymes, Tales, and Jingles. L., George Routledge and Sons, 1877, p. 263
 * 1) Earlier versions mention ″little spider.″ See, e.g.: Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes. A Collection of Alphabets, Rhymes, Tales, and Jingles. L., George Routledge and Sons, 1877, p. 263

Media related to Little Miss Muffet at Wikimedia Commons