Christa Giles

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and the eternal pathos of the human tragedy
that it sought to symbolise. 246
Dorian is enamoured of the ˝fuming censers˝ and the ˝black
confessionals,˝ 247 and his approach towards communion
suggests a sensual indulgence and a mockery of its
meaning. Des Esseintes too indulges in ˝the nicely
calculated scenes of Catholic ceremonial.˝ 248 However, his
leanings towards sacrilege are studiously blasphemous:
it seemed to Des Esseintes that a frightful
glory must result from any crime in open
church by a believer filled with dreadful
merriment and sadistic joy, bent on
blasphemy, resolved to desecrate and befoul
the objects of veneration. The mad rites of
magical ceremonies, black masses, and
witches sabbaths, together with the horrors of
demonic possession and exorcism, were
enacted before his mind’s eye; and he began
to wonder if he were not guilty of sacrilege in
possessing articles which had once been
solemnly consecrated, such as altar cards,
chasubles, and custodials. This idea, that he
was possibly living in a state of sin, filled him
with a certain pride and satisfaction, not
unmixed with delight in the sacrilegious
acts. 249