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Outside, the city is changing. While we have been talking…

“Outside, the city is changing. While we have been talking of God's laws and seacrets of the earth, a cold fog has come rolling off the sea, pushing through the allys, sliding over the water, rubbing up agienst the cold stone. As I walk the street falls away behind me, the shop's blue awning lost…” quote by Sarah Dunant
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““Outside, the city is changing. While we have been talking of God's laws and seacrets of the earth, a cold fog has come rolling off the sea, pushing through the allys, sliding over the water, rubbing up agienst the cold stone. As I walk the street falls away behind me, the shop's blue awning lost within seconds. People move like ghosts, their voices disconnected from their bodies; as fast as they loom up they dissapear agien. The fog is so dense that by the time I have crossed toward the Merceria, I can barely see the ground under my feet or tell if the gloom is weather of the beginning of dusk.””

Sarah Dunant

About This Quote

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

The narrator describes a fog‑filled, shifting cityscape where reality feels ghostly and transient, evoking a sense of disorientation and the thin line between day and night.

In simple terms: A foggy city creates an eerie, fleeting atmosphere.

Key Takeaway

Embrace uncertainty and the fluidity of perception.

Themes

transience urban decay perception

Mood

melancholic mysterious

Type

descriptive poetic

When to use this quote

  • travel writing
  • fantasy world‑building
  • visual arts
  • theatre set design

Key Concepts

environmental mood psychological realism

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does environment shape our sense of self?
  • What does the fog symbolize in our lives?
A Different Perspective

Fog can obscure clarity, making navigation difficult.

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