Eugene Onegin, Part L summary
Part L of 368 · 1 min to read the part
In L, the narrator names his pleasures and stresses his difference from Eugene to resist readers or editors who might identify him with his character. He rejects the assumption that a writer can portray only himself, making the distinction between author and character the unit’s central concern.
What happens
- The narrator lists love, flowers, rural life, leisure, and fields as his pleasures.
- He stresses the difference between himself and Eugene.
- He imagines a hostile reader or sharp-minded editor claiming that Eugene is his self-portrait.
- He invokes Byron and mocks the assumption that writers can describe only themselves.
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In this part
What to notice
The closing mockery rejects the assumption that fiction must be self-portraiture. It explains why the narrator insists on his difference from Eugene.
Quick check
Why does the narrator stress his difference from Eugene?
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