# III: Paradise Regained explained — The Inferno

> Chapter companion for The Inferno by August Strindberg.

## What happens

Strindberg recounts the summer and autumn of 1895 as among the happiest of his life, marked by successful experiments, unexpected provisions, and a growing but formless religious sensibility. He describes his isolation in Paris, his visits to the dead and to gardens, and his rejection of worldly pleasures. He reflects on the bankruptcy of science debate, his own scientific revisions, and the composition of Sylva Sylvarum and Churchyard Studies, which trace his return to a tentative belief in God and immortality.

## Themes in this chapter

### Science vs. Spirituality

Strindberg critiques degenerate science and argues for a monism that bridges matter and spirit, citing his own research and the argon discovery.

### Religion and Spiritual Crisis

A formless religion emerges from reading a Catholic prayer book, the Old Testament, and a Buddhist text; he experiences a wavering apprehension of God.

### Isolation and Paranoia

He remains in his quarter, avoids the right bank as forbidden 'world of the living,' and visits the dead daily.

### Suffering and Punishment

Buddhism's ranking of positive suffering above mere abstinence influences him; his churchyard studies arise from loneliness and sorrow.

## Character check-ins

### August Strindberg

Narrator and protagonist; reflects on his happiest period, scientific work, and spiritual formation.

### Christ

Compared unfavorably to Buddha; Christ avoids worldly joys while Buddha renounces them from a position of strength.

### Providence

Implied as the source of unknown friends bringing food and money.

### David

Referenced indirectly through the ravens of Elijah; not directly named but contextually present.

### Elijah

Referenced as the biblical figure fed by ravens, paralleling Strindberg's experience.

## Key lines

> All my attempts succeed; unknown friends bring me food as the ravens did to Elijah.

Every endeavor I undertake prospers; strangers provide for me like the ravens that fed the prophet Elijah.

_Strindberg compares his mysterious benefactors to the biblical ravens, emphasizing providential care._

> The great event of the Paris season was Brunetière’s war-cry, 'The bankruptcy of Science.'

The most notable happening in Paris that season was Brunetière's declaration that science had failed.

_Strindberg references the public intellectual debate over the limits of scientific authority._

> It is not Science which is bankrupt, only the antiquated, degenerate science, and Brunetière was right although he was wrong.

Science itself is not bankrupt, only the old, decaying version of it; Brunetière was correct in his critique but mistaken in his target.

_Strindberg distinguishes between true science and its degenerate form, agreeing with Brunetière's diagnosis but not his conclusion._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_inferno_se/chapters/iii-paradise-regained
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_inferno_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_inferno_se/chapters