By George Moutard Woodward (1760-1809), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain. Source
‘Coffee-House Characters: the Private Declaimer’ by George Moutard Woodward, dated 1808.
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‘Coffee-House Characters: the Private Declaimer’ by George Moutard Woodward (1760-1809), dated 1808, so almost a century after the time of John Macky. Unlike the Public Orator, depicted on another leaf of Woodward’s book of cartoons, the Private Declaimer is not holding forth to an admiring group but loudly regaling his friend with snippets from a newspaper and getting on the nerves of customers seated nearby. Macky’s fictional tourist spent much of his day in London’s many coffee-houses, each of which catered for a specialised clientele defined by their political sympathies or by the trendy social set they ran with.
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‘Coffee-House Characters: the Private Declaimer’ by George Moutard Woodward, dated 1808.
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By George Moutard Woodward (1760-1809), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
‘Coffee-House Characters: the Private Declaimer’ by George Moutard Woodward (1760-1809), dated 1808, so almost a century after the time of John Macky. Unlike the Public Orator, depicted on another leaf of Woodward’s book of cartoons, the Private Declaimer is not holding forth to an admiring group but loudly regaling his friend with snippets from a newspaper and getting on the nerves of customers seated nearby. Macky’s fictional tourist spent much of his day in London’s many coffee-houses, each of which catered for a specialised clientele defined by their political sympathies or by the trendy social set they ran with.
I must not forget to tell you that the parties have their different places, where, however, a stranger is always well received, but a Whig will no more go to the Cocoa Tree or Osinda’s than a Tory will be seen at the Coffee-houses of St James’s.* The Sets generally go to the British, and a mixture of all sorts to the Smyrna.*
Ordinaries* are not so common here as abroad, but there are good French ones in Suffolk Street. The general way here is to make a party at the Coffee-house to go to dine at the tavern, where we sit till six, when we go to the play, except you are invited to the table of some great man. After the play the best company generally go to Tom’s and Will’s Coffee-houses near adjoining, where there is playing at picquet and the best of conversation till midnight.
* The Whigs and the Tories were the two Parliamentary parties of the day. Tories tended to be the landed gentry and senior clergy; the Whigs were more often City businessmen. The Cocoa Tree and Osinda’s were cafes serving hot chocolate. These chocolate and coffee houses were places to sit and read newspapers and discuss literature or current affairs with friends.
* A Set was a name for a group of fashionable people. The British Coffee-house stood at 27 Cockspur Street, London; the Smyrna Coffee-house was in Pall Mall, where the letter-writer was supposedly staying while in London.
* ‘Ordinaries’ was a term for meals provided at a fixed time and price at an inn, or for the inns which served them.
Questions for Critics
1. What is the author
aiming to achieve in writing this?
2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that
strike you. How do they help the author communicate his
ideas more effectively?
3. What impression does this passage make on you?
How might you put that impression into words?
Based on The English Critic (1939)
by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at
Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn,
Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University,
USA.
Précis
Macky explained that these coffee-houses generally catered for a specific political or fashionable clientele, though some welcomed people of all tastes. Dinner rounded off the day’s busy round of chatter by six, and was followed in the evening by a trip to the theatre, and then cards and conversation until midnight.(51 / 60 words)
Macky explained that these coffee-houses generally catered for a specific political or fashionable clientele, though some welcomed people of all tastes. Dinner rounded off the day’s busy round of chatter by six, and was followed in the evening by a trip to the theatre, and then cards and conversation until midnight.
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Variations:
1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 55 words.2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 45 words.3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: although, because, besides, if, not, otherwise, unless, who.
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1Living.Serve.Very.
2General.Great.Know.
3Errand.Much.Their.
Variations:1.include direct and indirect speech2.include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who3.use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
In each group below, you will find words that are similar to one another, but not exactly the same. Compose your own sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between them, whether in meaning, grammar or use.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Many words can serve as noun or verb depending on context: see if you can prove this with the examples below. Nouns go well with words such as the/a, or his/her; verbs go well after I/you/he etc..
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Variations:
1.if possible, use your noun in the plural, e.g. cat → cats.2.use your verb in a past form, e.g. go → went.3.use your noun in a sentence with one of these words: any, enough, fewer, less, no, some.
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
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