Coming together Quote by David Foster Wallace
““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.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: "Consider the Lobster", 2005
A kiss can be seen as a profound exchange of essence, transcending physical contact into an ontological merging.
In simple terms: Kissing blends selves beyond the physical.
Key Takeaway
Recognize intimacy as deep connection.
Themes
intimacy
philosophy
ontology
language
Mood
reflective
intellectual
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- romantic relationships
- artistic expression
- poetic writing
- psychology
Key Concepts
metaphor
sensory experience
identity
Questions to Reflect On
- How does this view of kissing alter your perception?
- What does “dislocation of essence” suggest to you?
A Different Perspective
The dense style may obscure practical meaning for some readers.
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