# Unknown — The Book of Jade character guide > Unknown in The Book of Jade by David Park Barnitz. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Mine, thy, mine, Thee, Myself, myself **First appearance:** 0001-the-book-of-jade ## Snapshot A jaded aesthete reclining in Ispahân, weary of love, beauty, and philosophy alike, who turns his boundless ennui into a religion of luxury and sin. ## Who they are He is the book's presiding consciousness: a wealthy sensualist attended by Khaled and the moon-faced Leila, moving through censers, narghilés, and Hafiz's songs without pleasure. Having exhausted women, sciences, languages, and even sanctity, he craves something 'far too great for living' that nothing mortal can supply. His cultivated despair sets the tone for everything that follows, making his boredom the engine of the book's dark meditations. ## In the story ### [The Book of Jade](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/the-book-of-jade) The speaker who declares weariness and contemplates low states. ### [Prelude](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/prelude) The speaker who declares weariness with all mortal things and recounts his past indulgences. ### [Ashtoreth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-ashtoreth) The speaker who addresses Ashtoreth and offers praise. ### [Parfait Amour](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-parfait-amour) The speaker who declares his love bound to the beloved's sinfulness and sorrow. ### [Opium](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-opium) The speaker who addresses the 'pallid maiden vesperal' and reflects on the ephemeral nature of life and dreams. ### [Sombre Sonnet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-sombre-sonnet) The speaker who loves somber and deathly things. ### [Languor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-languor) The speaker who addresses the beloved with languorous longing and morbid fascination. ### [Ennui](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-ennui) The speaker who sits in Gomorrah, experiencing ennui and dismissing the seven deadly sins. ### [Litany](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-litany) The speaker who expresses profound ennui with all existence. ### [Harvard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-harvard) The speaker, addressing his tired muse and expressing ennui with his surroundings. ### [Pride](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-pride) The speaker who observes the procession of emotions and maintains a detached, proud stance. ### [Song of Golden Youth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-song-of-golden-youth) The speaker who declares a turn from sadness to hedonistic joy, addressing the Muse and celebrating love, laughter, and Lili. ### [Mais Moi Je Vis La Vie en Rouge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-mais-moi-je-vis-la-vie-en-rouge) The speaker addresses Mary directly, reflecting on different life philosophies and expressing a deep, sensual attachment. ### [Louanges d’Elle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-louanges-d-elle) The speaker who invokes the Muse and attempts to praise the beloved. ### [Hélas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-h-las) The speaker who addresses the Muse and laments unfulfilled promises. ### [Sonnet: When I Contemplate How My State Is Low](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-sonnet-when-i-contemplate-how-my-state-is-low) The speaker who contemplates their low state and pride, longing for death. ### [Sonnet: Be Not Cast Down My Heart, and Be Not Sad](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-sonnet-be-not-cast-down-my-heart-and-be-not-sad) The speaker addresses his own heart, urging it not to be cast down by sorrow. ### [Rondeau](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-rondeau) The speaker observes the fleeting nature of existence. ### [Autumn Song](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-autumn-song) The speaker addresses the skies and earth, commanding them to weep. ### [Ballad](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-ballad) The narrator describes the lady's journey and actions. ### [Changelessness](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-changelessness) The speaker who addresses the beloved and reflects on death and eternal beauty. ### [Madonna](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-madonna) The narrator describes the Madonna figure, weaving a portrait of sorrow and death. ### [Poppy Song](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-poppy-song) The speaker who addresses the poppy flowers, seeking anodyne and forgetfulness from despair and the burdens of life. ### [Consolation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-consolation) The speaker who has known many sorrows and finds solace in the inevitability of death. ### [Liebes-Tod](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-liebes-tod) The speaker who addresses the beloved and Death, expressing a desire for mortal union and oblivion. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-i) The speaker who addresses the beloved with adoration and a longing for dissolution. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-ii) The speaker who declares his life gone into eclipse and his death from ecstasy. ### [Evening Song](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-evening-song) The speaker who lies between the breasts of his beloved in the lily garden, lost in a dream of slumber. ### [Song of the Stars in Praise of Her](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-song-of-the-stars-in-praise-of-her) The speaker of the poem, who addresses the divine feminine figure with adoration. ### [Aubade](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-aubade) The lady who awakens and laments the loss of love. ### [Remember](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-remember) The speaker delivers a warning to those who delight in the skies, urging them to remember the coming night and sorrow. ### [Song: She Hath Liv’d the Life of a Rose](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-song-she-hath-liv-d-the-life-of-a-rose) The speaker mourns the passing of a fair woman, addressing her directly as 'thou'. ### [Song: Cometh a Day and a Night](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-song-cometh-a-day-and-a-night) The speaker describes the coming of death and decay. ### [Constancy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-constancy) The speaker who addresses the dead beloved with constancy and defiance. ### [Requiem](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-requiem) The speaker who mourns and orchestrates the funeral rites for the beloved. ### [Autumn Burial](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-autumn-burial) The narrator describes the funeral scene and the burial of the fair one. ### [Sonnet of Burial](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-sonnet-of-burial) The speaker addresses the deceased beloved, reflecting on their burial and the cessation of their earthly desires and sorrows. ### [Nocturne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-nocturne) The speaker who yearns to escape the world with the beloved. ### [Mad Sonnet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-mad-sonnet) The speaker who cries out to God in despair and weariness. ### [The House of Youth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-the-house-of-youth) The speaker reflects on his weary journey and his conflicted feelings toward the House of Youth. ### [De Profundis](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-de-profundis) The speaker who calls from the grave, lamenting his fallen state and pleading with God. ### [Sestettes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-sestettes) The speaker who addresses the beloved, celebrates woe, and contemplates death and love. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-i) The speaker who addresses 'thou' and reflects on woe and transformation. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-ii) The speaker who addresses the beloved, having won joy from pain. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-iii) The speaker who addresses the beloved and invokes death. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-iv) The speaker who declares an intense, death-bound love. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-v) The speaker who contemplates the nature of death. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-vi) The speaker who mourns the beloved's imperfect cruelty. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-vii) The speaker describes a universal thirst and a resolve to drain the cup of life completely. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-viii) The speaker addresses the heart, reflecting on the emptiness of both sadness and gladness. ### [Sonnet of the Instruments of Death](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-sonnet-of-the-instruments-of-death) The speaker who catalogs death's instruments and addresses the souls who commune with death. ### [Truth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-truth) The speaker who has ceaselessly sought Truth but remains in despair and uncertainty. ### [Hegel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-hegel) The speaker expresses dead hope and a stony heart, reading Hegel in a state of existential despair. ### [Monotony](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-monotony) The speaker whose soul lies dead and rotten, experiencing endless pain from the monotony of time. ### [Sepulture](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-sepulture) The speaker who laments his inner desolation and sits enthroned among his dead hopes. ### [Miserrimus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-miserrimus) The speaker who sits in the last depth of hell, crushed to hopeless stone, observing the damned pass by. ### [Scorn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-scorn) The dead speaker who scornfully addresses the worms and toads inhabiting his corpse. ### [The Grave](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-the-grave) The speaker who lies dead and rotting in the grave, expressing weariness and a squirming love toward an unnamed 'thou'. ### [Mummy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-mummy) The speaker addresses the mummy directly, reflecting on its perfected state. ### [Sepulchral Life](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-sepulchral-life) The speaker observes the world's decay and reflects on the futility of human aspirations. ### [Corpse](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-corpse) The narrator describes the corpse and warns of the curse upon those who see it. ### [Mankind](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-mankind) The speaker who observes and condemns the living-dead state of mankind. ### [The Defilers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-the-defilers) The speaker who rails against humanity's corruption and decay. ### [The Grotesques](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-the-grotesques) The speaker who observes and describes the four grotesque corpses in the tomb. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-i) The speaker who observes and describes the corpse in the tomb. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-ii) The speaker who witnesses and describes the macabre procession of the dead corpse. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-iii) The speaker who observes and addresses the dead corpse, questioning its divinity and ultimately dismissing it as mere dust. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-iv) The observer who describes the corpse and its macabre animation. ### [Fragments](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-fragments) The speaker who journeys through all states of being and questions the meaning of existence. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-i) The narrator who moves through the throng, observing and rejecting each group's way of life. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-ii) The seeker who questions the Absolute and witnesses its degradation. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-iii) The speaker recounts their personal spiritual journey and ultimate disillusionment with all states of being. ### [Envoi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-envoi) The speaker who declares arrival at absolute sorrow and then embraces a defiant, weary joy. ### [Postlude](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-postlude) The narrator reflects on the preceding events and themes, embodying a voice of existential exhaustion. ### [Song of India](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-song-of-india) The speaker who has journeyed from the North to India and now addresses Zulaikha. ### [Dedication](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-dedication) The speaker who dedicates the poem to his brother. ### [After-Life](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-ii-after-life) The speaker who has died and now rests in stillness, their spirit transforming into a rose. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/characters/unknown_narrator - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/characters