Sartor Resartus · Chapter
VI: Aprons explained
The Editor critiques Teufelsdröckh's section on Aprons, finding it unsatisfactory, marked by idle speculation and levity.
What happens
The Editor critiques Teufelsdröckh's section on Aprons, finding it unsatisfactory, marked by idle speculation and levity. Teufelsdröckh expounds on the symbolic and practical uses of aprons, from the Persian Blacksmith's apron to the Episcopal cassock, and digresses into the role of printed paper aprons and journalism as modern kingship. The Editor notes a significant blunder where Teufelsdröckh confuses the Presbyterian Witchfinder with an imaginary historian of British journalism.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Teufelsdröckh'…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Clothing as Symbol
Aprons are analyzed as defenses and symbols, ranging from the Persian royal standard to the Episcopal cassock, illustrating the broader symbolic function of garments.
- Critique of Society and Materialism
Teufelsdröckh critiques societal structures, comparing military and police establishments to aprons, and satirizes the role of journalism and printed paper in modern life.
Characters to notice
- Diogenes Teufelsdröckh
Author of the section on Aprons, whose rambling and erroneous digressions are critiqued by the Editor.
- The Editor
Provides commentary on Teufelsdröckh's chapter, expressing mixed feelings and pointing out a major blunder.
Key passages
“Aprons are Defences; against injury to cleanliness, to safety, to modesty, sometimes to roguery.”
Aprons serve as protective garments, guarding against dirt, harm, indecency, and even dishonesty.
Teufelsdröckh's general definition of the apron's purpose.
“The Journalists are now the true Kings and Clergy: henceforth Historians, unless they are fools, must write not of Bourbon Dynasties, and Tudors and Hapsburgs; but of Stamped Broadsheet Dynasties, and quite new successive Names, according as this or the other Able Editor, or Combination of Able Editors, gains the world’s ear.”
Journalists have become the real rulers and spiritual leaders; historians should focus on the rise and fall of newspaper editors and presses rather than traditional royal dynasties.
Teufelsdröckh's assertion on the shifting power from monarchs to the press.
