A spurned partner gradually becomes a domestic liability as his lover rises
Evidence
Halliwell is “the first wife,” someone says, who becomes a liability when his partner goes up in the world; gradually he appears more and more bloated and menopausal, downing Valium and standing on his dignity. — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 321
Categorization
- SEED: The ‘first wife’ framing could inspire a character study about the discarded partner whose dignity ossifies as the ascendant partner flourishes.
- corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 321
- XREF: connects to: Intense romantic infatuation can carry an undertone of instinctive danger — Julien Gracq, Balcony in the Forest, 222
Broader Connections
- Intense romantic infatuation can carry an undertone of instinctive danger
#expands(0.60) — Julien Gracq, Balcony in the Forest, 222