oh, anon, i am so sorry in advance for this answer, but that is truly one of my favorite lines in the whole season, and i think it’s incredibly rich. usually the more metanarrative moments happen in present day dubai, with louis and daniel (and, to a lesser degree, armand) cluing us in as to what questions to ask, what to expect, or even how to interpret some things, but this is one of the rare occasions in which, while the dialogue is placed firmly inside one of the flashbacks, you can actually hear the writers speaking through past!louis’ mouth.

now, i do understand why people who are not particularly fond of the language of academic literary analysis may dislike this line. it’s the kind of thing you write in a critical essay, not necessarily something you would randomly comment to your boyfriend who you know for a fact rarely reads a book all the way through. but, since it’s about one of my favorite books, and i, too, think that the lack of metaphor is striking, well, i guess i’m among the annoying snobs!

now, since i have the opportunity, let me tell you a bit about the several different ways in which i interpret this line.

but, first, in case you missed that detail, let me point out what book exactly louis is reading. it took me a bit to figure this out, since the title isn’t really clear, but louis tells us the author and, if you count the characters and squint at the shape of the letters, the book in his hands can only be gustave flaubert’s madame bovary.

Keep reading