How to Tell the Birds from the Flowers and Other Woodcuts · Chapter
The Ape; The Grape explained
The chapter humorously traces human lineage to apes, playing on the word 'ape-x' and 'arborigenes' to explain monkeys' tree-dwelling nature, and connects this to the harvesting of grapes for wine, invoking Bacchanalian revelry.
What happens
The chapter humorously traces human lineage to apes, playing on the word 'ape-x' and 'arborigenes' to explain monkeys' tree-dwelling nature, and connects this to the harvesting of grapes for wine, invoking Bacchanalian revelry.
Themes in this chapter
Wordplay and Homophones
Puns on 'ape-x' and 'arbor-ig-i-nes' drive the chapter's humor and logic.
Humor and Absurdity
The absurd connection between apes, grapes, and Bacchanalian abuses creates a whimsical tone.
Key passages
“The Apes, from whom we are descended, Hang ape‑x down from trees suspended, And since we find them in the trees, We term them arbor‑ig‑i‑nes.”
Apes, our ancestors, hang upside down from trees, so we call them tree-dwellers.
Explains the etymological pun on 'arborigenes'.
“This quite explains the monkey‑shines Cut up by those who pluck from vines The Grape, and then subject its juices, To Bacchanalian abuses.”
This clarifies the antics of monkeys who pick grapes and turn them into wine for wild parties.
Links monkey behavior to wine-making and revelry.