Against the Grain · Chapter
IV explained
Des Esseintes, having adorned a turtle's shell with precious stones, gazes at it with satisfaction.
What happens
Des Esseintes, having adorned a turtle's shell with precious stones, gazes at it with satisfaction. He enjoys a meal of tea and toast, then returns to his study. He uses a 'mouth organ' of liquors to evoke musical sensations and memories, recalling a painful visit to a dentist. He reflects on the selection of gems for the turtle's shell, preferring rare and unusual stones.
Themes in this chapter
Aestheticism and Sensuality
Des Esseintes derives intense pleasure from the visual beauty of the jeweled turtle and the complex sensory experience of his liquor organ, blending taste with music.
Artifice vs. Nature
The artificial arrangement of gems on the turtle's shell and the synthetic musical experience of liquors highlight Des Esseintes' preference for crafted beauty over natural forms.
Escapism and Solitude
Des Esseintes retreats into his private world of sensory pleasures and memories, using the liquor organ to escape into a realm of internal sensations.
Characters to notice
- Des Esseintes
The protagonist, who has decorated a turtle's shell with jewels and uses a liquor organ to stimulate memories and sensations.
- the servant
A servant is directed to bring the turtle to the study.
Key passages
“He felt perfectly happy; his eyes were intoxicated with the splendours of these flowers flashing in jewelled flames against a golden background.”
He was completely content, his vision overwhelmed by the dazzling jeweled flowers against the gold backdrop.
Describes Des Esseintes' aesthetic satisfaction with the turtle's decorated shell.
“This liquid perfume he drank from those cups of Oriental porcelain known as eggshell china, so delicate and transparent are they;”
He drank this aromatic tea from extremely thin, translucent Oriental porcelain cups called eggshell china.
Highlights his preference for rare and delicate objects.
“Indeed, each several liquor corresponded, so he held, in taste with the sound of a particular instrument.”
He believed that each type of liquor had a taste that matched the sound of a specific musical instrument.
Explains his synesthetic theory of the liquor organ.
“The acrid, carbolic flavour forcibly recalled the very same sensation that had filled his mouth and burned his tongue while the dentists were at work on his gums.”
The harsh, medicinal taste of the whisky brought back the exact feeling of having his gums treated by a dentist.
Shows how taste triggers a vivid memory of a painful dental experience.
“Alone among all these, the sapphire keeps its fires inviolate, unharmed by the folly of tradesmen and moneygrubbers.”
Only the sapphire retains its pure brilliance, untouched by the vulgarity of merchants and the wealthy.
Reflects his disdain for common tastes and his preference for rare, untainted beauty.