Cruel Quote by Jean Lorrain
““Against a set of desolate scenery, amid spectral crags and livid mountains of ash, beneath the funereal daylight of slopes illuminated in blue, she personified the spirit of the witches' sabbat. Morbid and voluptuous, sometimes with extenuated grace and infinite lassitude, she seemed to carry the burden of a criminal beauty, a beauty charged with all the sins cf the multitude. She fell again and again upon her pliant legs, and as she outlined the symbolic gestures of her two beautiful dead arms she seemed to be towing them behind her. Then, the vertigo of the abyss took hold of her again, and like one possessed she stood on point, holding herself fully erect from top to toe, like a spike of flesh and shadows. Her arms, weighed down just a few moments earlier, became menacing, demoniac, and audacious. Twisting like a screw, she whirled around, like a winnowing-machine - no, like a great lily stirred by a storm-wind. Clownish and macabre, a nacreous gleam showed between her lips... oh, that cruel and sardonic smile, and the two deep pools of her terrible eyes! Ize Kranile!””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Spectral Landscape, 1895
A vivid, gothic description of a woman embodying dark, supernatural beauty amid a bleak, otherworldly setting.
In simple terms: A woman is portrayed as a haunting, beautiful figure in a desolate, eerie landscape.
Embrace the complexity of beauty and darkness within.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- art criticism
- creative writing
- theatre performance
- visual arts
- personal introspection
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How does darkness enhance the perception of beauty?
- What does the woman’s posture reveal about inner conflict?
The intense imagery may overwhelm or alienate readers seeking clarity.