Les Bijoux Indiscrets

Les Bijoux Indiscrets (The Indiscreet Jewels) is a short story by Denis Diderot, first published in 1747. The story follows a young woman named Sophie who receives a mysterious package containing a series of small, exquisite jewels. As she admires each piece, it transforms into a different object, revealing the wearer's deepest desires and secrets. The story explores themes of desire, privacy, and the power of objects to reveal our innermost thoughts and feelings. Through Sophie's experiences, Diderot critiques the societal expectations placed on women and the ways in which they are judged and evaluated based on their appearance and behavior. Throughout the story, Diderot employs a unique narrative structure, using the jewels to represent the complexities of human emotion and the ways in which our desires and secrets can be both exposed and concealed. The story is a masterful exploration of the human condition, challenging readers to consider their own desires and the ways in which they are shaped by societal expectations.

By Denis Diderot · First published 1749 · Genre: Philosophical Fiction, Satire, Erotica · 51 chapters · 97,195 words

First lines

Hiaouf Zeles Tanzai had already reigned long in great Chechianea, and this voluptuous prince still continued to be the delight of his subjects. Acajou king of Minutia had undergone the fate predicted by his father: Zulmis was no more: the Count De -- -- was still living: Splendidus, Angola, Misapouf and some other potentates of the Indies and Asia were carried off by sudden deaths. The people tired of obeying weak sovereigns, had shaken off the yoke of their posterity; and the descendants of those unfortunate monarchs rambled unknown, or not regarded, in the provinces of their empires. The grandson of the illustrious Scheherazad was the only one who maintain'd his throne: and he was obeyed in Indostan by the name of Schach Baam, at the time when Mangogul was born in Congo. Thus it appears, that the death of several sovereigns was the mournful epoch of his birth.

What this Textopian page supports

Les Bijoux Indiscrets is listed on Textopian as a novel by Denis Diderot, dated 1749 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Novel
• Author: Denis Diderot
• Date: 1749 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Philosophical Fiction, Satire, Erotica, Fantasy
• Length: 97,195 words
• Structure: 51 chapters, 964 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for Les Bijoux Indiscrets by Denis Diderot
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
• Readability and classroom-planning context
• Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

Discussion starters

• What should a reader notice first when entering Les Bijoux Indiscrets?
• How does this novel by Denis Diderot fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
• Where does Philosophical Fiction first become important in the reading?

Similar titles

• The Prudery Of The Feminists by G. K. Chesterton
• Murder Considered As One Of The Fine Arts by Thomas De Quincey
• Irony by D. H. Lawrence
• The Indiscreet Jewels by Denis Diderot
• Judge Not by George Bernard Shaw
• Antipathies by Charles Kingsley

Genres

• Philosophical Fiction — Diderot, as a prominent philosopher, infuses his philosophical ideas into the narrative, making it a work of philosophical fiction.
• Satire — The book uses humor, irony, and exaggeration to criticize and mock society’s norms and customs, classifying it as a satire.
• Erotica — The novel includes explicit sexual elements, making it also fit the erotica genre.
• Fantasy — The plot includes the use of a magical object that induces characters to reveal their secrets, thereby adding elements of fantasy.

Tags

satire · philosophy · eroticism · enlightenment · social critique · gender roles · sexuality · intimacy · human nature · morality · hypocrisy · power dynamics

Contents

• "Birth of Mangogul."
• "Education of Mangogul."
• "Which may be regarded as the first of this history."
• "Evocation of the Genius."
• "Mangogul's dangerous Temptation."
• "First Trial of the Ring."
• "Second trial of the Ring."
• "Third trial of the Ring."
• "The state of the academy of sciences at Banza."
• "Less learned and less tedious than the preceding. Continuation of the academical sitting."
• "Fourth trial of the Ring."
• "Fifth Trial of the Ring."
• "Of the opera at Banza."
• "Orcotomus's experiments."
• "The Bramins."
• "The Muzzles."
• "The two Devouts."
• "The Toyman's return."
• "Seventh trial of the Ring."
• "Eighth trial of the Ring."
• "Ninth Trial of the Ring."
• "A Sketch of Mangogul's moral Philosophy."
• "Tenth trial of the Ring."
• "Eleventh trial of the Ring."
• "Twelfth Trial of the Ring."
• "Mirzoza's Metaphysics."
• "Sequel of the preceding conversation."
• "Thirteenth trial of the Ring."
• "The best perhaps, and the least read of this history."
• "Fourteenth trial of the Ring."
• Was Mangogul in the right?
• "The fifteenth trial of the Ring."
• "Sixteenth trial of the Ring."
• "Seventeenth trial of the Ring."
• "Conversation on literature."
• "Eighteenth and nineteenth trials of the Ring."
• "Mirzoza's dream."
• "Twenty-first and twenty-second Trials of the Ring."
• "Dreams."
• "Twenty-third Trial of the Ring."
• "The history of Selim's travels."
• "Twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth trial of the ring."
• "Selim at Banza."
• "Twenty-sixth trial of the Ring."
• "Cydalisa."
• "Twenty-seventh Trial of the Ring."
• "Prodigious events of the Reign of Kanaglou, Mangogul's Grand-father."
• "Twenty-eighth Trial of the Ring."
• "Twenty-ninth Trial of the Ring."
• "Platonic Love."
• "Thirtieth and last trial of the Ring."

More by Denis Diderot

• Rameau's Nephew (1805)
• This Is Not a Story (1767)
• The Indiscreet Jewels (1748)
• All works by Denis Diderot