Flesh Quote by Djuna Barnes
““The perfume that her body exhaled was of the quality of that earth-flesh, fungi, which smells of captured dampness and yet is so dry, overcast with the odour of oil of amber, which is an inner malady of the sea, making her seem as if she had invaded a sleep incautious and entire. Her flesh was the texture of plant life, and beneath it one sensed a frame, broad, porous and sleep-worn, as if sleep were a decay fishing her beneath the visible surface. About her head there was an effulgence as of phosphorous glowing about the circumference of a body of water - as if her life lay through her in ungainly luminous deteriorations - the troubling structure of the born somnambule.””
About This Quote
The passage evokes a haunting, otherworldly description of a woman whose scent and presence blend earth, sea, and decay, suggesting a liminal, dream‑like state.
In simple terms: A vivid, eerie portrait of a woman who feels like a living, decaying dream.
Key Takeaway
Embrace the strange beauty in the uncanny.
Themes
mortality
decay
dreams
nature
the uncanny
Mood
eerie
melancholic
intrigued
Type
literary
descriptive
poetic
When to use this quote
- nighttime contemplation
- artistic inspiration
- psychological analysis
- creative writing
- emotional introspection
Key Concepts
existentialism
sensory imagery
surrealism
Questions to Reflect On
- How does the interplay of scent and texture shape perception?
- What emotions arise from the juxtaposition of life and decay?
A Different Perspective
The dense, poetic language may obscure clarity for some readers.
