Poetry · Chapter
CLXII explained
A brief dialogue in which a dead body is identified as Credulity, killed not by suicide but by surfeit from consuming everything set before him at Science's table.
What happens
A brief dialogue in which a dead body is identified as Credulity, killed not by suicide but by surfeit from consuming everything set before him at Science's table.
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
The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the speaker’s obsessive pursuit of the divine rose fragrance…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Deception and Self-Deception
The death of Credulity by surfeit suggests self-deception in uncritical acceptance of scientific claims.
Key passages
“Whose dead body is that? Credulity's. By whom was he slain? Credulity. Ah, suicide. No, surfeit. He dined at the table of Science, and swallowed all that was set before him.”
The corpse belongs to Credulity, killed not by his own hand but by overindulgence—he believed everything Science offered without question.
The chapter uses a riddle-like exchange to critique blind faith in scientific authority.
