Eugene Onegin · Chapter
XXXVIII explained
Onegin, idle and disillusioned, attempts to fill his emptiness by reading a random assortment of books, but finds them all either nonsensical, dishonest, wicked, or absurd.
What happens
Onegin, idle and disillusioned, attempts to fill his emptiness by reading a random assortment of books, but finds them all either nonsensical, dishonest, wicked, or absurd. He abandons reading altogether, covering his bookshelf with taffeta as if in mourning.
Themes in this chapter
The Aristocratic Malaise
Onegin's aimless reading and ultimate rejection of books illustrate his profound ennui and the emptiness of aristocratic leisure.
The Role of Literature and Art
The chapter critiques the futility of seeking meaning through random, uncritical consumption of literature, as Onegin finds all books flawed and abandons them.
Characters to notice
- Eugene Onegin
Onegin, in his idleness, tries to cure his boredom by reading but finds no satisfaction, ultimately draping his bookshelf in taffeta.
Key passages
“Once more to idleness consigned, He felt the laudable desire From mere vacuity of mind The wit of others to acquire.”
Returned to a life of doing nothing, he felt a commendable urge to fill his mental emptiness by seeking the wisdom of others.
Onegin's attempt to overcome boredom through reading is framed as a noble but ultimately futile effort.
“Books he abandoned like the fair, His book-shelf instantly doth drape With taffety instead of crape.”
He gave up books just as he had given up women, and immediately covered his bookshelf with taffeta as if it were a funeral shroud.
The simile equates his rejection of literature with his earlier romantic disillusionment, and the taffeta covering symbolizes a mock mourning for intellectual life.