The Cream of the Jest · Chapter
XXXII: Horvendile to Ettarre: At Vaux-le-Vicomte explained
In a dream, Kennaston and Ettarre attend a fête at Vaux-le-Vicomte, where young Louis XIV is being entertained by Fouquet.
What happens
In a dream, Kennaston and Ettarre attend a fête at Vaux-le-Vicomte, where young Louis XIV is being entertained by Fouquet. Horvendile points out historical figures like La Vallière and the future Madame de Montespan, and remarks on a new comedy by Molière (then known as Poquelin). He reflects on the human inability to speak one's true thoughts, the price poets pay for glimpses of perfect beauty, and his own jealousy toward Molière. The chapter ends with Horvendile's anguished confession of his love for Ettarre and the frustration of never being able to truly possess her.
Themes in this chapter
Art and Illusion
Horvendile reflects on Molière's comedy as a mirror of human triviality, and on the illusory nature of his own creation of Ettarre.
Love and Idealization
Horvendile's passionate but unattainable love for Ettarre, whom he can never truly reach or possess.
The Power of Storytelling
The chapter highlights how poets like Molière and Horvendile himself are driven by glimpses of beauty, and how stories shape reality.
Characters to notice
- Horvendile
Narrates the scene at Vaux-le-Vicomte, commenting on the guests, the play, and his unrequited love for Ettarre.
- La Beale Ettarre
The silent listener; Horvendile addresses her throughout, expressing jealousy and adoration.
- Felix Kennaston
Mentions the setting and historical figures; his dream self (Horvendile) speaks.
Key passages
“Men are condemned eternally to bore one another. Two hundred years and more from today—perhaps forever—man will lack means, or courage, to voice his actual thoughts adequately.”
Human beings are doomed to endless trivial conversation, unable or unwilling to express their true feelings, now and for centuries to come.
Horvendile's commentary on the universal human failure to communicate authentically.
“I wish my old friend Jonas d’Artagnan were here. It is a real pity he is only a character in fiction—just as I once thought you were, Ettarre. Eh, what a fool I was to imagine I had created you! and that I controlled your speech and doings! I know much better now.”
Horvendile wishes for the fictional d'Artagnan's company, realizing that Ettarre, whom he once thought he invented, is beyond his control.
Horvendile acknowledges the autonomy of his dream creations, blurring the line between fiction and reality.