Eugene Onegin, Part 1, no. 248, Part XXVI summary
Part 1, no. 248, Part XXVI of 368 · 1 min to read the part
In XXVI, two friends who share meals, secrets, and leisure now approach each other as enemies intent on mutual destruction. The narrator asks why they cannot part peacefully and presents their hostility as driven by social fashion and artificial shame.
What happens
- The narrator recalls the friends’ shared leisure, meals, secrets, and activities.
- The former companions approach each other with fury and an intent to destroy one another.
- The narrator asks whether they can smile and leave peacefully before blood stains their hands.
- The closing lines connect their hostility with fashionable hatred and artificial shame.
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Eugene Onegin, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Start freeNothing to pay today. USD 0.14 a day in the first year, then USD 0.27 a day.
In this part
What to notice
The closing statement links the friends’ hostility to social expectations rather than simply personal anger. It sharpens the narrator’s challenge to their deadly behavior.
Quick check
What peaceful alternative does the narrator suggest?
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Eugene Onegin, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Start freeNothing to pay today. USD 0.14 a day in the first year, then USD 0.27 a day.
200,000+ classics to read, hear and hold
15-minute summaries today, eBooks and audiobooks as each book opens, and printed books, large print included, at cost.
Try 3 months free
