On June 18, 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo. What's this got to do with anything literary related? For one, it resulted in the proliferation one of the greatest palindromes in the English language: Able was I ere I saw Elba.
Aftermath of the battle included Napoleon's exile to St. Helena, half a century of international peace in Europe, and a handy example of metaphor/synecdoche/metonymy: Napoleon lost at Waterloo (part for the whole)...Johnny met his Waterloo...etc.
Also, enjoy the ABBA (palindrome!):
--Nina
1 comment:
My dad and all my French kin are Napoleonites and will argue to death the good Napoleon brought to France. Sewer systems in Paris! Indoor plumbing even in the tenements! Regulated city streets for maximum beauty and efficiency! Excellent public education!
I always want to point out the whole invading-Europe thing, but no one in the fam is too into that.
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