# XVII explained — The Little Demon

> Chapter companion for The Little Demon by Fyodor Sologub.

## What happens

Liudmilla's sensual and playful relationship with Sasha deepens as she brings him to her home, feeds him dates, introduces him to perfumes, and engages in wrestling and tickling. The chapter explores her innocent yet provocative desires and Sasha's bewitched compliance.

## Themes in this chapter

### Desire and Obsession

Liudmilla's intense, sensual attraction to Sasha is central, blending innocence with provocative longing as she seeks physical closeness and emotional intimacy.

### Corruption of Innocence

Sasha's youthful innocence is gradually drawn into Liudmilla's world of perfumes, tickling, and wrestling, blurring the line between childlike play and adult desire.

## Character check-ins

### Liudmilla

Liudmilla expresses her innocent yet intense attraction to Sasha, bringing him home, feeding him dates, and introducing him to perfumes. She wrestles and tickles him, reveling in the sensual tension.

### Sasha Pilnikov

Sasha is drawn to Liudmilla, feeling both happy and uneasy. He participates in her games, kisses her hand, and is intrigued by the perfumes she shares.

### Darya

Darya teases Liudmilla about her feelings for Sasha, but also comforts her when she becomes upset.

### Valeria Routilov

Valeria observes her sisters with a sense of sadness and envy, feeling small and frail.

### Olga Kokovkina

Kokovkina is mentioned as Sasha's guardian who leaves the house to attend a birthday party, allowing Liudmilla to visit.

## Key lines

> To love a boy is better than to fall in love with a commonplace face with moustaches. I love him innocently. I don’t want anything from him.

Liudmilla claims her affection for Sasha is pure and preferable to loving an ordinary adult man.

_Liudmilla defends her feelings to her sisters, asserting the innocence of her attraction._

> I know there’s nothing for me to hope for from him but if he would only caress me a little!

Liudmilla admits she desires some physical affection from Sasha, even if nothing more can come of it.

_Liudmilla reveals her longing for Sasha's touch, highlighting the tension between her stated innocence and her desires._

> Three scents live in the cyclamen—the poor flower smells of ambrosia—that is for working bees. ... The flower also smells of vanilla. ... The flower’s third perfume smells of the sweet tender body for the lover, and this is its love—the poor flower and the heavy midday sultriness.

Liudmilla poetically describes the cyclamen's three scents: one for bees, one for dreams, and one for love.

_Liudmilla uses the perfume to articulate her own layered feelings of joy, desire, and sensuality._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_little_demon_se/chapters/xvii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_little_demon_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_little_demon_se/chapters