Actors taking part in a re-enactment of the Battle of Waterloo on the historic battlefield itself in 2014 take a well-earned break in one of the tents. Before the battle, Wellington stayed in Waterloo itself, but afterwards met up with his Prussian ally General Blücher. “When all was over, Blucher and I met at La Maison Rouge” he recalled. “We supped afterwards together between night and morning, in a spacious tent erected in the valley for that purpose.”
Introduction
Charles Dickens’s ‘Household Words’ for 1851 recounted a summer visit to the site of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, where the Duke of Wellington masterminded the defeat of Emperor Napoleon. Some of the tales told by the guides were of doubtful authenticity, but Dickens liked this one about the Duke’s personal chef.
BUT still more interesting to us was the house where the Duke of Wellington took up his quarters before the battle; and that interest, we are not ashamed to say, was created not so much by the great commander, as the commander’s cook.*
During the battle, as, from hour to hour, thousands on thousands of fugitives poured along towards Brussels, or at least towards the Forest of Soigne,* crying that all was lost — the English beaten — the French victorious, and coming — the incredulous cook continued unmoved his preparations for his master’s dinner. “Fly!” cried one after another, “the French are coming, and you will be killed!”
But the imperturbable cook, strong in his faith of invariable victory, only replied “I have served master while he has fought a hundred battles, and he never yet failed to come to his dinner.” And he cooked on, spite of flying thousands of “brave Belges” and Hanoverians; and the Duke came through, though rather late!
From an account in ‘Household Words’ Vol. III No. 75 (Saturday, August 30, 1851), edited by Charles Dickens.
On the battle itself, see The Battle of Waterloo, and for Dickens’s view of the battlefield guides, Serjeant Munday.
The Sonian Forest or Sonian Wood (in Dutch, Zoniënwoud, and in French, Forêt de Soignes) is a forest covering almost 11,000 acres (approx. 17 square miles) just to the southeast of Brussels in Belgium. It is about two fifths of the size of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire (approx. 42 square miles).
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
Charles Dickens recorded a visit to the battlefield of Waterloo, made in 1851, during which the guides told how the Duke of Wellington’s cook had refused to flee despite continual reports of impending disaster. He said the Duke had never failed yet to come back home for dinner, and once again the chef’s honest faith was justified. (57 / 60 words)
Charles Dickens recorded a visit to the battlefield of Waterloo, made in 1851, during which the guides told how the Duke of Wellington’s cook had refused to flee despite continual reports of impending disaster. He said the Duke had never failed yet to come back home for dinner, and once again the chef’s honest faith was justified.
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: because, besides, if, must, not, otherwise, whether, who.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
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.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
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.
1 Ashamed. Battle. Imperturbable.
2 Thousand. Up. While.
3 But. Have. Spite.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
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?
x
0
Add
Your Words ()
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