Introduction
A production of The Benefit Night at the Carl Theatre in Vienna in March 1850 introduced the character of Lord Pudding, ‘a travelling Englishman.’ His clownish antics stung Charles Dickens into protesting at the stereotypes perpetuated by Continental writers, yet he did not demand punishment. He urged the English to hop on a train, and spread a little entente cordiale.
TO the honour of our modern English authors be it spoken, they have been zealous to avoid such ridiculous mistakes. It is true that the harmless old legends respecting Foreigners — that nine-tenths of them are Frenchmen; that all are of very slender proportions in figure; that their staple diet is frogs; and that, despite Alison’s and every other History of Europe they very much prefer to dance than to fight;* together with other popular delusions — still linger in the minds of some of our bold peasantry and milder cockneys; but it is to be hoped, after many years of peace and better sense, that we may now claim for the majority of even an under-educated British public, a more correct knowledge of the personnel and manners of our Continental neighbours, than our Continental neighbours manifestly have of us.*
The very foible of Lord Pudding himself* — that of being a travelling Englishman — would defend him from such blunders as the literary Frankenstein who gave life to the monster, has fallen into.* Travelling Englishmen are common abroad, who speak foreign languages, and understand foreign customs, extremely well.
* A History of Europe from the Commencement of the French Revolution to the Restoration of the Bourbons, by Sir Archibald Alison, 1st Baronet (1792–1867), published in ten volumes between 1833 and 1843. It was proverbial for the author’s industry, accuracy and verbosity.
* Dickens’s opinion, that the English were guilty of prejudice but our neighbours were no better, was shared by Elizabeth Gaskell. “We have tortured Jews” she admitted ruefully in the August 1855 edition of Household Words; “we have burnt Catholics and Protestants, to say nothing of a few witches and wizards. We have satirised Puritans, and we have dressed up Guys. But, after all, I do not think we have been so bad as our Continental friends.”
* Lord Pudding was padded, garishly dressed, a clumsy dancer and a clumsier lover. He also swore profusely, a habit of an earlier generation of Englishmen which had imprinted itself on native peoples from Austria to Australia. On a visit to Anjouan (then the island of Johanna) in the Indian Ocean, Scottish naval officer Basil Hall (1788-1844) recorded the English picked up by one of the islanders, a kind of cross between Mr Mantalini and Mr Jingle. ‘How do you do, sir? Very glad see you. D—n your eyes! Johanna man like English very much. God d—n! That very good, eh? Devilish hot, sir! What news? Hope your ship stay too long while — very. D—n my eye! Very fine day.’
Victor Frankenstein is the title character in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818), an Italian-Swiss pseudo-scientific dabbler who confected a nameless, eight-foot-tall artificial human of grotesque features. Lord Pudding was not the only catalyst for Dickens’s article, however. He mentions in passing The Decline of England (1850) by Frenchman A. A. Ledru-Rollin, which had painted an unflattering picture of the Empire and predicted its imminent collapse with a little too much relish. The previous July, Dickens — recently returned from one of his frequent visits to Paris — had published an indignant retort from Christopher Shrimble (W. H. Wills).
Précis
Prompted by a play staged in Vienna in 1850, Charles Dickens took exception to the portrayal of Englishmen by Continental men of letters. He admitted that the English cherished their own European stereotypes, but insisted that there were nonetheless many well-travelled Englishmen who showed a better understanding of foreign ways than these Continental neighbours did. (55 / 60 words)
Prompted by a play staged in Vienna in 1850, Charles Dickens took exception to the portrayal of Englishmen by Continental men of letters. He admitted that the English cherished their own European stereotypes, but insisted that there were nonetheless many well-travelled Englishmen who showed a better understanding of foreign ways than these Continental neighbours did.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, because, despite, may, must, otherwise, ought, whereas.
Word Games
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
You are welcome to share your creativity with me, or ask for help with any of the exercises on Clay Lane. Write to me at this address:
See more at Email Support.
If you like what I’m doing here on Clay Lane, from time to time you could buy me a coffee.
Buy Me a Coffee is a crowdfunding website, used by over a million people. It is designed to help content creators like me make a living from their work. ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ prides itself on its security, and there is no need to register.
