Paris Spleen, 1869 Chapter Summary & Analysis - Section 3: To Each His Chimera, The Fool and Venus & The Dog and the Vial Summary

Section 3: To Each His Chimera, The Fool and Venus & The Dog and the Vial Summary

In "To Each his Chimera", the narrator spies a group of men walking along, hunched over and each with the mythical Chimera carried on his back. The narrator asks one of the men where they are going, but the man does not seem to know, just that he needs to walk. As the group slowly passes by, each with their burden weighing their bodies down, the narrator feels a heavy burden and realizes that he feels more burdened than the men whom he had just met carrying their beasts.

In "The Fool and Venus", in a park at sunset, the narrator sees a man dressed as a jester gazing at a statue of Venus. The narrator feels disgust for the man dressed as a fool, but then he finds pity for him as he gazes at Venus in sorrow, knowing he is a fool, while the...
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