Basil · Chapter
I explained
Basil reflects on his year of probation after marrying Margaret, describing the terms of their daily meetings and his attempts to educate her.
What happens
Basil reflects on his year of probation after marrying Margaret, describing the terms of their daily meetings and his attempts to educate her. He recounts Margaret's intense curiosity about his family's wealth and social status, particularly Clara's dresses and habits. Basil is blinded by love, ignoring the warning signs in Margaret's superficial interests.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Pride
Margaret's fascination with Basil's family's wealth and servants underscores the class divide and her social aspirations.
The Ideal vs. The Real
Basil idealizes his relationship with Margaret, while her superficial interests hint at a reality he fails to see.
Characters to notice
- Basil
The narrator, reflecting on his year of probation and his blindness to warning signs.
- Margaret Sherwin
Shows intense curiosity about Basil's family's wealth and social status, especially Clara's dresses.
- Clara
Subject of Margaret's inquiries; her appearance and wardrobe are of great interest.
- Mr. Sherwin
Reluctantly allows Basil to visit Margaret daily, fearing the consequences of too much intimacy.
Key passages
“My fancy revelled by anticipation in all the delights of such an employment as this. It would be like acting the story of Abelard and Heloise over again—reviving all the poetry and romance in which those immortal love-studies of old had begun, with none of the guilt and none of the misery that had darkened their end.”
Basil imagined that teaching Margaret would be a romantic and pure intellectual pursuit, unlike the tragic story of Abelard and Heloise.
Basil's idealistic view of his role as Margaret's tutor.
“Those were the days when I lived happy and unreflecting in the broad sunshine of joy which love showered round me—my eyes were dazzled; my mind lay asleep under it.”
Basil was so happy and in love that he failed to notice any problems in his relationship with Margaret.
Basil's retrospective acknowledgment of his own blindness.