Summary

The narrator goes to visit Juliana in a room of the house. She asks if he will stay on longer as a lodger. The narrator says that his limited financial means will not likely allow him to stay for much longer. The narrator informs Juliana that he is a literary critic and editor. Juliana says that it is not right “to rake up the past” (108). The narrator counters that it is only by investigating the past that things of value can be preserved for future generations. Juliana says that real truth belongs to God, not humanity. The narrator says that people should not give up on trying to discover truth. The narrator still wonders if she has deduced his true motives. She then presents a small painted portrait of Jeffrey Aspern and asks him to appraise it. The narrator pretends that he does not...