---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Clarissa will be bereaved, deeply lonely…"
description: "\"“Clarissa will be bereaved, deeply lonely, but she will not die. She will be too much in love with life, with London. Virginia imagines someone else, y..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c3/michael-cunningham-1120_love_clarissa-will-be-bereaved-deeply-lonely_1721383.png"
---

#  Clarissa will be bereaved, deeply lonely, but she will not…

![“Clarissa will be bereaved, deeply lonely, but she will not die. She will be too much in love with life, with London. Virginia imagines someone else, yes, someone strong of body but frail-minded; someone with a touch of genius, of poetry, ground under by the wheels of the world, by war and…” quote by Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c3/michael-cunningham-1120_love_clarissa-will-be-bereaved-deeply-lonely_1721383.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c3/michael-cunningham-1120_love_clarissa-will-be-bereaved-deeply-lonely_1721383.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c3/michael-cunningham-1120_love_clarissa-will-be-bereaved-deeply-lonely_1721383.png)

> ““Clarissa will be bereaved, deeply lonely, but she will not die. She will be too much in love with life, with London. Virginia imagines someone else, yes, someone strong of body but frail-minded; someone with a touch of genius, of poetry, ground under by the wheels of the world, by war and government, by doctors; a someone who is, technically speaking insane, because that person sees meaning everywhere, knows that trees are sentient beings and sparrows sing in Greek. Yes, someone like that. Clarissa, sane Clarissa -exultant, ordinary Clarissa - will go on, loving London, loving her life of ordinary pleasures, and someone else, a deranged poet, a visonary, will be the one to die.””

[Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

## About This Quote

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

Clarissa, though grieving, chooses to embrace life and love for London, while a visionary poet, driven by intense perception, meets a tragic end, contrasting ordinary joy with extraordinary madness.

**In simple terms:** Clarissa lives fully despite loss; a visionary poet dies.

Key Takeaway

Live fully despite loss; recognize different paths of fulfillment.

Themes

resilience love life madness visionary

Mood

melancholic hopeful contemplative

Type

narrative philosophical

When to use this quote

- grieving
- celebrating city life
- supporting creative minds
- balancing ordinary and extraordinary

Key Concepts

existentialism psychology artistic genius urban love

Questions to Reflect On

- How do we value ordinary joy versus visionary suffering?
- What does “meaning everywhere” mean to you?

A Different Perspective

The poet’s “insanity” may be romanticized, overlooking real mental health concerns.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Clarissa Bereaved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clarissa-bereaved-1341227/) [Clarissa Loving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clarissa-loving-1341228/) [Like Clarissa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-clarissa-1341226/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Ordinary Clarissa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary-clarissa-1341229/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Sane Clarissa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sane-clarissa-1341230/)

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