The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen · Chapter
A Litigated Contention and the Chase of the Wauwau explained
The Baron presides over a grand court to settle a dispute among Gog, Magog, Sphinx, Hilaro Frosticos, and Lord Whittington.
What happens
The Baron presides over a grand court to settle a dispute among Gog, Magog, Sphinx, Hilaro Frosticos, and Lord Whittington. The court features blind judges and mute matrons who communicate with quizzes. The oracular bird Wauwau arrives from Prester John's kingdom, and the assembly pursues it across Plinlimmon to Virginia, encountering a floating island that the Baron anchors. In America, they attempt to capture Wauwau in a morass using nets, a tunneling Magog, and a balloon-borne Gog, but the bird escapes after tearing Gog's balloon.
Themes in this chapter
Satire of Politics and Society
The absurd court proceedings with blind judges and mute matrons mock legal and political institutions.
The Marvelous and the Absurd
The chase of the Wauwau, the floating island, and the tunneling Magog exemplify fantastical and absurd adventures.
Critique of Human Nature
The litigiousness and chaotic pursuit of the Wauwau highlight human folly and irrationality.
Characters to notice
- Baron Munchausen
Serves as president of the grand court and leads the expedition to capture Wauwau.
- Gog
Participates in the contention and later ascends in a balloon to catch Wauwau, but falls into a morass after the balloon is torn.
- Magog
Tunnels through the morass in steel armor to seize Wauwau by the foot.
- Sphinx
Takes part in the litigated contention, supported by Colossus.
- Hilaro Frosticos
Among the company pursuing Wauwau.
- Lord Whittington
Involved in the contention before the grand council.
- Wauwau
The oracular bird from Prester John's kingdom that leads the assembly on a chase across continents.
- Colossus of Rhodes
Takes the part of Sphinx in the contention.
Key passages
“The contention between Gog and Magog, and Sphinx, Hilaro Frosticos, the Lord Whittington, etc., was productive of infinite litigation.”
The dispute among these characters led to endless lawsuits.
Introduces the central legal conflict of the chapter.
“I had ordered that none but the blind should be honoured with the employment: so that when they attempted to write anything, they uniformly dipped their pens into the machine containing sand...”
The Baron appointed blind judges, who mistakenly used sand instead of ink, causing chaos.
Highlights the satirical incompetence of the court.
“In pity to the poor islanders, I got a huge stake of iron, and driving it through the centre of the island, fastened it to the rocks and mud at the bottom of the sea, since which time the island has become stationary, and is well known at present by the name of St. Christopher’s.”
The Baron anchored a floating island with an iron stake, creating the fixed island of St. Kitts.
A fantastical explanation for the origin of St. Christopher's Island.
