On a Tight Rein, by Mrs Devonshire

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IF a cross or bad word was spoken to him, no power could persuade him to touch a mouthful of food; and if in harness, not a stroke of work would he do, in assisting to draw the carriage: therefore, whenever he came in from his journeys, they were obliged to give him his food, accompanied by all the pretty and coaxing expressions they could make use of.

The postilion told me that when first he came into the stables, one of the men had given him a slight pat on the back, accompanied by an impolite expression, at which the little horse was so affronted that he could not be prevailed upon to touch his food for days...

by Mrs Devonshire 1841

abridged

From ‘Original Anecdotes of British Quadrupeds’ (1841) by an anonymous author. Attributed in ‘The London catalogue of books &c.’ (1851) to Devonshire (Mrs).

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 her 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.

Questions for Critics

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