III: A Canticle of Love explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Love and Power Dynamics

  The chapter centers on the struggle for dominance in Janina and Witold's relationship, with Janina asserting her need for equality and Witold's attempts to maintain control.

• Female Sexuality and Desire

  Janina's letter openly expresses her love and desire, while also critiquing the societal expectation for women to suppress their feelings and maintain a mask.

• Artificiality and Authenticity

  Janina argues that preserving love requires playing a part and wearing a mask, highlighting the tension between genuine emotion and social performance.

Characters to notice

• Janina Dernowicz

  Narrator and protagonist; writes a letter to Witold expressing her love and fears, then confronts him and ends the relationship.

• Witold

  Janina's lover; returns from a shooting party, argues with Janina about her theories, and leaves after she breaks up with him.

• Idalia

  Janina's confidante; mentioned as handing Janina a letter from Witold and hosting artistic gatherings.

• Janusz

  Martha's brother; now married with four sons, has grown fat and common, and occasionally carouses with Witold.

• Martha

  Witold's former lover; currently in a German sanatorium for nervous patients, pining after her husband and son.

• Wiazewski

  A visitor at Idalia's lodgings; criticizes Bohemianism and expresses disdain for men with strong convictions.

Key passages

• “I should be a hundred times better to you than I am, if I were not afraid. For now, since you made your confession, I feel afraid lest you should get the upper hand: and in love, I do not believe that two can both be on an equal footing.”

  Janina admits she would be more loving if she weren't scared that Witold would dominate her, as she believes love cannot be equal between partners.

  Highlights the theme of power dynamics in love.

• “We must play a part, wear a mask, and keep strictly to ourselves all such grievances as might lower one in the eyes of the other.”

  Janina argues that to preserve love, both partners must hide their true feelings and weaknesses from each other.

  Illustrates the theme of artificiality and authenticity.

• “I then resolved to hold my position of superiority, became more secret, less natural; and all that is in me of feebleness, abasement, poverty of spirit — the ewig Weibliches — I most carefully locked up and kept to myself alone, in order to provide our love with a longer existence.”

  Janina decided to maintain a superior position by hiding her feminine weaknesses, believing this would make their love last longer.

  Reflects on gender roles and the suppression of female vulnerability.