Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Magic Mountains or My Eyes Are Up Here

"[O]ne Suday evening in the salon after supper, the consul made a discovery, thanks to a black, very low-cut sequined gown: Frau Redisch had very feminine, soft, white, close-set breasts and a cleavage visible from a considerable distance. And this discovery had stirred the mature, refined man to the depths of his soul, thrilling him as if this were a totally new, unexpected, unheard-of phenomenon."

Thomas Mann
The Magic Mountain

This cracks me up for several reasons. Erste, the formality of the language is just a perfect way to express a crude thought. A considerable distance indeed! Zweite, the idea that underneath all the superficial decoration, we men are just mobile boners. And dritte, it's just so true. Totally ridiculous, but true nonetheless. 

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