XVII
Z.’s analysis of the letter from chapter XVI reveals much about L.’s sexuality and even more about Z.’s own.
Time of composition: May 30–June 6, 1944. Time of narration: Summer 1943. Narrated time: 1905.
| not so much out of hot-bloodedness | Z.’s attitude towards heterosexual relationships is consistently characterized by coldness and analytical distance—a reminder that he is perhaps not entirely dissimilar to L. |
| cool irony […] suit of armor | A probable reference to Dürer’s Knight, Death, and Devil. |