Find this prose monument to metaphorical excess.
May 23, 2012 12:03 PM Subscribe
Can you help me re-locate a passage full of purple prose?
A year or two back, I stumbled across a passage from a novel--I believe it was a largely unmemorable fantasy book from the '90s--that has been reproduced in numerous places on the Internet. If I remember correctly, it was a description of a woman's appearance, but stuffed with so many mixed and ungainly metaphors (or perhaps similes?), it was laughable. I vaguely recall some part of her being described as like scythes, though don't quote me on that.
Any ideas?
A year or two back, I stumbled across a passage from a novel--I believe it was a largely unmemorable fantasy book from the '90s--that has been reproduced in numerous places on the Internet. If I remember correctly, it was a description of a woman's appearance, but stuffed with so many mixed and ungainly metaphors (or perhaps similes?), it was laughable. I vaguely recall some part of her being described as like scythes, though don't quote me on that.
Any ideas?
Best answer: Ah, but that Mefi link points to a broken LJ page: "Suspended Entry: This entry has been suspended and not available for reading. For confidentiality reasons we can not discuss the reasons for which the entry was frozen, with someone else other than the account holder."
I was able to grab this snippet from a reviewer on Goodreads, care of "Bronwyn: Silk and Steel" by Ron Miller.
"Her ears were a puzzle carved in ivory. Her teeth were her only bracelet; she carried them within the red velvet purse of her lips. Her tongue was amber. Her tongue was a ferret, an anemone, a fox caught in the teeth of a tiger."
"Her face had the fragrance of a gibbous moon."
"Her neck was the foam that curls from the prow of a ship, it was a sheaf of alfalfa or barley, it was the lonely dance of the pearl-gray shark."
"Her buttocks were fresh-baked loaves; they were ivory eggs, they were the eggs of the lonely phoenix. They were fists."
posted by Sayuri. at 12:39 PM on May 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
I was able to grab this snippet from a reviewer on Goodreads, care of "Bronwyn: Silk and Steel" by Ron Miller.
"Her ears were a puzzle carved in ivory. Her teeth were her only bracelet; she carried them within the red velvet purse of her lips. Her tongue was amber. Her tongue was a ferret, an anemone, a fox caught in the teeth of a tiger."
"Her face had the fragrance of a gibbous moon."
"Her neck was the foam that curls from the prow of a ship, it was a sheaf of alfalfa or barley, it was the lonely dance of the pearl-gray shark."
"Her buttocks were fresh-baked loaves; they were ivory eggs, they were the eggs of the lonely phoenix. They were fists."
posted by Sayuri. at 12:39 PM on May 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Exactly it! (The link on the MeFi post is broken, but I found it by Googling one of the phrases.) Thanks, WidgetAlley.
posted by xenization at 12:39 PM on May 23, 2012
posted by xenization at 12:39 PM on May 23, 2012
Mother of god. By the time he gets to "Her pubes was a field of wheat..." tears were rolling down my cheeks.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 12:43 PM on May 23, 2012
posted by Admiral Haddock at 12:43 PM on May 23, 2012
But that was the best part! I don't know what "having the sex of mirrors and candles" is like but it must be AWESOME.
posted by Sayuri. at 12:47 PM on May 23, 2012
posted by Sayuri. at 12:47 PM on May 23, 2012
And related: Litany by Billy Collins.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 1:19 PM on May 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 1:19 PM on May 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
« Older There's a freeway running through the yard | In Responding to Someone Being Difficult, Where is... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by WidgetAlley at 12:24 PM on May 23, 2012