Poetry · Chapter
Mrs. Cameron and Ben Nevis explained
A humorous poem describing the encounter between Mrs.
What happens
A humorous poem describing the encounter between Mrs. Cameron, a stout 50-year-old woman, and Ben Nevis, the ancient mountain. After climbing the mountain, she scolds it for its lack of gratitude, while the mountain, awakened from a thousand-year slumber, threatens to embrace her with volcanic force. She faints, the mountain returns to sleep, and she is rescued by her servants, descending with great difficulty.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the King, overwhelmed by his own confession, reveals Bertha’s…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Nature and Imagination
The mountain is personified and engages in a fantastical dialogue with Mrs. Cameron, blending natural grandeur with imaginative whimsy.
- Social Critique and Mortality
The poem humorously critiques social pretensions and the absurdity of human vanity in the face of ancient, indifferent nature.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The narrator who recounts the tale and expresses personal discomfort about the descent.
Key passages
“She ought to have hired Sisyphus—'Up the high hill he heaves a huge round— Mrs. Cameron.'”
She should have enlisted Sisyphus, the mythical figure condemned to roll a boulder uphill, to help her ascent, as she is as round and heavy as a boulder.
A classical allusion comparing Mrs. Cameron's size and effort to the myth of Sisyphus.
“What whining bit of tongue and Mouth thus dares Disturb my slumber of a thousand years?”
What noisy, complaining creature dares to wake me from my sleep that has lasted a thousand years?
Ben Nevis speaks, expressing irritation at being disturbed after millennia of rest.
“The Lady fainted and he thought her dead; So pulled the clouds again about his head And went to sleep again”
Mrs. Cameron fainted, and the mountain, believing her dead, wrapped himself in clouds and resumed his slumber.
The climax of the encounter: the mountain's threat causes her to faint, and he returns to sleep.
