The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen · Chapter
Chapter XX explained
The Baron recounts his descent into Mount Etna, his encounter with Vulcan and Venus, and his subsequent fall through the center of the Earth into the South Sea.
What happens
The Baron recounts his descent into Mount Etna, his encounter with Vulcan and Venus, and his subsequent fall through the center of the Earth into the South Sea. He is rescued by a Dutch ship, visits Botany Bay, and after a storm loses his compass. The ship eventually reaches an island made of cheese surrounded by a sea of milk. The Baron later finds himself in the Caspian Sea, starves a bear to death, and returns to St. Petersburg. He concludes with anecdotes about his pointer-dog waistcoat and the employment of a native of the Cheese Island.
Themes in this chapter
Veracity and Lying
The Baron moralizes on the virtue of veracity, yet his tale is filled with absurd exaggerations, and the Dutch captain doubts his truthfulness.
The Marvelous and the Absurd
Includes descending into Mount Etna, visiting Vulcan, falling through the Earth, an island of cheese, and a sea of milk.
Adventure and Exploration
The Baron's journey through the Earth, arrival in the South Sea, and exploration of the Cheese Island.
Characters to notice
- Baron Munchausen
Narrator and protagonist; descends into Mount Etna, visits Vulcan, falls through the Earth, survives a whale, and starves a bear.
- Vulcan
God of the forge; hosts the Baron in Mount Etna, explains eruptions, and later drops him into a well out of jealousy.
- Sir William Chambers
Mentioned as being indebted to the Baron for ideas on Chinese gardening; employs the Cheese Island native to light lamps at Somerset House.
- The Captain
Dutch captain who rescues the Baron from the sea; doubts the Baron's story but provides passage.
Key passages
“I found myself in the company of Vulcan and his Cyclops, who had been quarrelling, for the three weeks before mentioned, about the observation of good order and due subordination, and which had occasioned such alarms for that space of time in the world above.”
The Baron discovers that the eruption of Mount Etna was caused by a three-week quarrel among Vulcan and his Cyclops over discipline.
Explains the supernatural cause of volcanic eruptions.
“I caught one in each hand, and squeezed him till he cried out most lustily; however, in this position I held him till I starved him to death.”
The Baron grabs a bear by its paws and holds it until it starves, preventing it from licking its paws.
Demonstrates the Baron's absurd strength and resourcefulness.
“Of this creature’s skin I have had this waistcoat made (showing his waistcoat), which always leads me involuntarily to game if I walk in the fields in the proper season, and when I come within shot, one of the buttons constantly flies off, and lodges upon the spot where the sport is.”
The Baron's waistcoat, made from his pointer's skin, guides him to game and its buttons mark the spot for shooting.
Illustrates the magical properties of the waistcoat.