The Beautiful and Damned · Chapter
III: The Connoisseur of Kisses explained
Anthony Patch, after a transformative evening with Gloria Gilbert, becomes deeply infatuated.
What happens
Anthony Patch, after a transformative evening with Gloria Gilbert, becomes deeply infatuated. He calls her the next day, confesses his love, and they share an intense, passionate embrace. Meanwhile, Mrs. Gilbert recounts Gloria's history of romantic conquests and her spoiled, independent nature.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Possession
Anthony's possessive infatuation with Gloria and his desire to claim her exclusively, contrasted with Gloria's history of fleeting romantic attachments.
Youth and Aging
Gloria's youthful beauty and vitality are emphasized, while Mrs. Gilbert reflects on the passage of time and her daughter's many suitors.
Irony and Self-Deception
Anthony convinces himself the evening was casual, yet immediately calls Gloria and declares his love, revealing his self-deception.
Characters to notice
- Anthony Patch
Falls deeply in love with Gloria after a single evening; calls her the next day and confesses his love; experiences intense emotional and physical attraction.
- Gloria Gilbert
Recipient of Anthony's affection; described as spoiled and independent by her mother; has a history of many romantic affairs; reciprocates Anthony's feelings in a kiss.
- Mrs. Gilbert
Gloria's mother; confides in Richard Caramel about Gloria's past relationships and her spoiled upbringing.
- Richard Caramel
Present during Mrs. Gilbert's confidences about Gloria's romantic history.
- Maury Noble
Quoted by the narrator on the nature of happiness.
Key passages
“He had experienced an emotion that was neither mental nor physical, nor merely a mixture of the two, and the love of life absorbed him for the present to the exclusion of all else.”
Anthony felt a profound, all-consuming emotion that transcended mind and body, filling him with a pure love of life.
Describes Anthony's transformative emotional state after his evening with Gloria.
“Happiness, remarked Maury Noble one day, is only the first hour after the alleviation of some especially intense misery.”
Maury Noble observed that happiness is merely the brief relief following great suffering.
A cynical reflection on the nature of happiness, contrasting with Anthony's euphoria.
“Together they crushed out the stiff folds of her dress in one triumphant and enduring embrace.”
They held each other so tightly that the crisp fabric of her dress was crumpled in their passionate, victorious hug.
Climactic moment of physical and emotional union between Anthony and Gloria.