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Her lips are full and red and tend to wetness and do not…

“Her lips are full and red and tend to wetness and do not ask but rather demand, in a pout of liquid silk, to be kissed. I kiss them often, I admit it, it is what I do, I am a kisser, and a kiss with Lenore is, if I may indulge a bit for a moment here, not so much a kiss as it is a dislocation, a…” quote by David Foster Wallace
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““Her lips are full and red and tend to wetness and do not ask but rather demand, in a pout of liquid silk, to be kissed. I kiss them often, I admit it, it is what I do, I am a kisser, and a kiss with Lenore is, if I may indulge a bit for a moment here, not so much a kiss as it is a dislocation, a removal and rude transportation of essence from self to lip, so that it is not so much two human bodies coming together and doing the usual things with their lips as it is two sets of lips spawned together and joined in kind from the beginning of post-Scarsdale time, achieving full ontological status only in subsequent union and trailing behind and below them, as they join and become whole, two now utterly superfluous fleshly bodies, drooping outward and downward from the kiss like the tired stems of overblossomed flora, trailing shoes on the ground, husks.””

David Foster Wallace

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker describes a kiss as a profound, almost alien merging that transcends ordinary physical intimacy, feeling like a dislocation of self into another.

In simple terms: A kiss is portrayed as a deep, transformative union.

Key Takeaway

Recognize intimacy as a shared transformation.

Themes

intimacy transcendence identity desire

Mood

reflective poetic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

  • romantic relationships
  • artistic expression
  • personal reflection

Key Concepts

ontological merging sensory metaphor psychological distance

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does this view of kissing affect your perception of closeness?
  • What does “dislocation” suggest about self and other?
A Different Perspective

The description may romanticize intimacy, overlooking emotional complexities.

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