Eugene Onegin · Chapter
Epigraph explained
The epigraph introduces a character steeped in vanity and a peculiar pride that allows him to confess both good and bad deeds with equal indifference, stemming from a perhaps imagined sense of superiority.
What happens
The epigraph introduces a character steeped in vanity and a peculiar pride that allows him to confess both good and bad deeds with equal indifference, stemming from a perhaps imagined sense of superiority.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story’s dramatic climax because Tatyana, having long suppressed her feelings and accepted her duty…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- The Aristocratic Malaise
The epigraph's description of vanity and imagined superiority captures the ennui and moral emptiness of the aristocracy.
Characters to notice
- Eugene Onegin
The epigraph describes a man with vanity and pride, likely foreshadowing Onegin's character.
Key passages
“Pétri de vanité, il avait encore plus de cette espèce d’orgueil, qui fait avouer avec la même indifference les bonnes comme les mauvaises actions, suite d’un sentiment de supériorité, peut-être imaginaire.”
Kneaded from vanity, he also possessed that kind of pride which makes one confess good and bad deeds with equal indifference, stemming from a perhaps imaginary sense of superiority.
This epigraph sets the tone for the protagonist's complex psychology.
