Intense romantic infatuation can carry an undertone of instinctive danger

Evidence

he glanced at her, her waist so slender in her close-fitting blouse, with a shadow of anxiety; he thought of those wasps which instinctively know where to sting in order to paralyze their prey. — Julien Gracq, Balcony in the Forest, 222

Categorization

• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Julien Gracq, Balcony in the Forest, 222
• XREF: connects to: Passive drift toward disaster can feel seductive rather than frightening — Julien Gracq, Balcony in the Forest, 293; Surface affection can coexist with a relish for destroying opponents — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 1157; A spurned partner gradually becomes a domestic liability as his lover rises — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 321 (+3 more)

Library Connections

• Passive drift toward disaster can feel seductive rather than frightening #exemplifies (0.85) — Julien Gracq, Balcony in the Forest, 293