The Indiscreet Jewels · Chapter
Prodigious Events of the Reign of Kanaglou, Mangogul’s Grandfather explained
Mirzoza, curious about the wonders of Kanaglou's reign, asks Selim to recount the prodigies wrought by the genius Cucufa.
What happens
Mirzoza, curious about the wonders of Kanaglou's reign, asks Selim to recount the prodigies wrought by the genius Cucufa. Selim describes the golden age of Kanaglou as a time of luxury, military victories, and economic mismanagement, marked by fanatical edicts and the expulsion of subjects. He then narrates a series of enchantments: the transformation of the seraglio into a gallery of Pantins, a plague of disagreeable buttocks that drove many to religious conversions, a mysterious affliction of young girls' fingers, and the rise of round shoulders, whirling motions, and short-sightedness among courtiers. He also recounts how the ladies were cursed with ugliness, leading to the invention of cosmetics. Mirzoza finds these follies amusing and asks Selim if he participated; he admits he did, following the fashions as they came and went. The chapter ends with Mangogul's appearance, the author noting that princes sometimes do unremarkable things.
Themes in this chapter
Satire of Court and Society
Selim's account of Kanaglou's court mocks the follies of fashion, luxury, and the blind imitation of the nobility, from round shoulders to whirling motions and opera glasses.
Critique of Religion and Morality
The enchantment that made people's buttocks disagreeable led to a wave of religious conversions and marriages, satirizing the hypocrisy and superficiality of religious devotion.
Truth vs. Appearance
The curse of ugliness on the ladies and their reliance on cosmetics highlights the theme of appearance versus reality, as they try to conceal their true state.
Love and Cynicism
The affliction of young girls' fingers and the resulting marriages of children cynically portray love and marriage as mere remedies for physical inconveniences.
Characters to notice
- Mirzoza
The favorite, curious about Kanaglou's reign, prompts Selim to recount the prodigies and asks whether he participated in the follies.
- Selim
The old courtier and eyewitness to Kanaglou's reign, he narrates the enchantments and admits to having followed the fashionable follies of the time.
- Kanaglou
Mangogul's grandfather, whose reign is described as a golden age marked by luxury, military conquests, economic troubles, and fanatical edicts.
- Cucufa
The genius and protector of the reigning family, who performed the enchantments that transformed the court and its inhabitants.
- Erguebzed
Mentioned as the predecessor of Kanaglou, during whose reign the favorite was born, and later as the intercessor for the cursed ladies.
- Mangogul
The reigning sultan, who appears at the end of the chapter; the author notes that princes sometimes perform unremarkable actions.
Key passages
“The court, which sets the example to the rest of the empire, was very gallant. The Sultan had mistresses, the nobility piqued themselves on imitating him, and the lower people insensibly assumed the same air.”
The court led by example in matters of gallantry: the Sultan kept mistresses, the nobility strove to copy him, and the common people gradually adopted the same behavior.
Selim describes the pervasive influence of courtly manners on all levels of society.
“The people sung victory, and were starving at the same time. The great had stately castles and delightful gardens, and their lands lay uncultivated.”
The populace celebrated military triumphs while going hungry; the nobility owned magnificent estates and gardens, but their fields remained untilled.
Selim highlights the contrast between public celebration and private misery, and between aristocratic luxury and agricultural neglect.
“I put on the round shoulders, I stood erect, I danced in walking, I cock’d the spyglass, I whirled about, I hissed like the rest: and the utmost efforts of my judgment went no farther than to be one of the first in taking up these several biases, and none of the last in shaking them off.”
I adopted the hunched shoulders, stood straight, danced as I walked, used the spyglass, spun around, and hissed like everyone else; my only wisdom was to be among the first to embrace each fashion and among the last to abandon it.
Selim admits to participating in all the courtly follies, showing how even a wise courtier follows the prevailing trends.
