The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen · Chapter
V explained
The Baron recounts his extraordinary feats of horsemanship and presence of mind, including a greyhound that pups while coursing a hare that also litters, and a Lithuanian horse he tames and rides through a portcullis, later repairing the se
What happens
The Baron recounts his extraordinary feats of horsemanship and presence of mind, including a greyhound that pups while coursing a hare that also litters, and a Lithuanian horse he tames and rides through a portcullis, later repairing the severed hindquarters with laurel sprigs that grow into a bower.
Themes in this chapter
Self-Aggrandizement and Heroism
The Baron boasts of his horsemanship, presence of mind, and military exploits, framing himself as a heroic figure.
The Marvelous and the Absurd
The greyhound and hare both littering during a chase, and the horse being severed and healed with laurel sprigs, are absurdly marvelous events.
Characters to notice
- Baron Munchausen
Narrator and protagonist, demonstrates presence of mind and horsemanship.
- Lithuanian
The superb horse given to the Baron by Count Przobossky, later cut in two by a portcullis and repaired.
- Young Alexander
Invoked as a model of the soldier's and gentleman's duty, compared to the Baron's horse.
Key passages
“The hare had littered in running; the same had happened to my bitch in coursing, and there were just as many leverets as pups.”
Both the hare and the greyhound gave birth while running, resulting in an equal number of leverets and pups.
Illustrates the absurdity and luck of the Baron's adventures.
“I forced him to leap in at one of the open windows of the tearoom, walked round several times, pace, trot, and gallop, and at last made him mount the tea-table, there to repeat his lessons in a pretty style of miniature which was exceedingly pleasing to the ladies, for he performed them amazingly well, and did not break either cup or saucer.”
The Baron rode the horse through a window into the tearoom, performed various gaits, and even made it stand on the tea-table without breaking anything.
Demonstrates the Baron's exceptional horsemanship and the horse's remarkable training.
“He sewed them up with sprigs and young shoots of laurels that were at hand; the wound healed, and, what could not have happened but to so glorious a horse, the sprigs took root in his body, grew up, and formed a bower over me; so that afterwards I could go upon many other expeditions in the shade of my own and my horse’s laurels.”
The farrier sewed the horse's severed hindquarters back on with laurel shoots, which took root and grew into a bower, allowing the Baron to ride in the shade of his own laurels.
A fantastical and humorous conclusion to the horse's injury, blending the marvelous with self-glorification.