Drunken Consul Quote by Malcolm Lowry
““But there was no mistaking, even in the uncertain light, the hand, half crabbed, half generous, and wholly drunken, of the Consul himself, the Greek e's, flying buttresses of d's, the t's like lonely wayside crosses save where they crucified an entire word, the words themselves slanting steeply downhill, though the individual characters seemed as if resisting the descent, braced, climbing the other way.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Under the Volcano, 1947
The passage portrays a chaotic, drunken narrative where language itself struggles against decay, reflecting existential disarray.
In simple terms: Language fights decay in a drunken world.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the fragility of meaning.
Themes
existential
language
chaos
Mood
melancholic
introspective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- reading poetry
- writing experimental prose
- philosophical contemplation
Key Concepts
Literary modernism
semantic decay
Questions to Reflect On
- What does the broken language symbolize?
- How does chaos affect perception?
A Different Perspective
Obscure style may alienate readers.
