Book I, Stanzas 10-14 Summary

Stanza 10: Maldoror predicts what his death will be like. He does not think that he will be surrounded by priests, for he does not expect to persist after the death of his body; even if he did, he has no hope for mercy. He imagines a last conversation with the whole of existence. Nature, he thinks, will wonder at his existence, for he is a new kind of violation of its laws. Though he feels at odds with the natural world, he does not bear a grudge as a result. Instead, he seems to view it as a kind of competition, in which both sides are pitted against one another, each recognizing that only one can emerge victorious.

Stanza 11: A family—mother, father, and son—are gathered around a table at night when Maldoror sneaks...