The Indiscreet Jewels · Chapter
The History of Selim's Travels explained
Selim recounts his travels through Europe, detailing his amorous adventures in France, England, Germany, and Italy, and the manners of women in each country.
What happens
Selim recounts his travels through Europe, detailing his amorous adventures in France, England, Germany, and Italy, and the manners of women in each country. Meanwhile, Mangogul plans a ball to summon city 'Toys' for his ring trials, and news arrives of Codindo's death from a comet-obsessed mania.
Themes in this chapter
Satire of Court and Society
Selim's satirical observations of French, English, German, and Italian courts and their superficial gallantry.
Gender and Sexual Politics
Selim's accounts of amorous conquests and the differing sexual mores of European women.
Love and Cynicism
Selim's cynical view of love as fleeting pleasure, contrasting with Mirzoza's curiosity about his one true love.
Characters to notice
- Selim
Narrates his European travels and amorous exploits to Mirzoza and Mangogul.
- Mangogul
Plans a ball to gather city Toys for ring trials; falls asleep during Selim's narrative.
- Mirzoza
Suggests the ball to Mangogul; listens attentively to Selim's story.
- Codindo
Reported dead due to a maniacal obsession with a comet.
- Farfadi
Physician called to treat Codindo's mania.
Key passages
“A young lord of Congo, says a beautiful marquise. That must be surely very diverting: those men are better then ours. I think Congo is not far from Morocco.”
A French marquise mistakes Congo for a place near Morocco and finds Selim exotic and entertaining.
Highlights French ignorance of foreign lands and their superficial fascination with novelty.
“I found that the employment, which the dutchess and her friend had promised me, was difficult to execute, and therefore gave it up.”
Selim realized the promised position was too demanding and declined it.
Satirizes the empty promises of courtly patronage.
“All the women of rank there resemble important citadels, which must be besieged in form. They are to be reduced, but the approaches require so many measures, there are so many ifs and buts, when the articles of capitulation are to be settled, that those conquests soon tired me.”
German noblewomen are like fortresses requiring lengthy formal courtship, which Selim found tedious.
Critiques the rigid social protocols of German aristocracy.
“He had found, by the methods of Halley and Circino, two celebrated astronomers of Monoémugi, that a certain comet, which made so much noise towards the end of Kanaglou's reign, was to return the day before yesterday; and fearing lest it might double its steps, and he should not have the happiness of being the first to see it; he resolved to spend the night in his observatory.”
Codindo, obsessed with a comet predicted by astronomers, stayed up all night to see it and went mad.
Satirizes scientific obsession and the folly of amateur astronomers.