Recalling his initiation into the dazzling world of Parisian high society and looking back over his time in the glamorous salons of the aristocracy, the narrator satirises this shallow world and his own youthful infatuation with it. His observations also educates him in the volatile nature of desire...

Recalling his initiation into the dazzling world of Parisian high society and looking back over his time in the glamorous salons of the aristocracy, the narrator satirises this shallow world and his own youthful infatuation with it. His observations also educates him in the volatile nature of desire as he walks the path towards adulthood.