Eugene Onegin, Part 1, no. 266, Part XLIV summary
Part 1, no. 266, Part XLIV of 368 · 1 min to read the part
In XLIV, the speaker attacks fashionable society for cowardice, hypocrisy, betrayal, and empty talk, then includes himself and his friends in the accusation. The unit closes the sixth canto and introduces Moscow through contrasting statements about love for the city and escape from human company.
What happens
- The speaker lists spoiled children, foolish rogues, and zealous censors as members of a degraded social world.
- Religious coquettes and submissive slaves add hypocrisy and obedience to the portrait.
- Fashionable manners conceal betrayal, while conversation, thought, and goals lack substance.
- The speaker admits that he and his friends share the same moral swamp.
- The seventh canto opens with Moscow and statements that contrast affection for the city with rejection of human company.
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What to notice
The accusation turns inward. The speaker does not claim moral distance from the people he condemns.
Quick check
Who does the speaker include in the final image of the morass?
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