Modern romance, like Greek tragedy, celebrates the mystery of dismemberment, which is life in time. The happy ending is justly scorned as a misrepresentation; for the world, as we know it, as we have seen it, yields but one ending: death, disintegration, dismemberment, and the crucifixion of our heart with the passing of the forms that we have loved.

Summary

This quote suggests that modern romance, much like Greek tragedy, embraces the inevitable and unpredictable nature of life's struggles and heartbreaks. It criticizes the concept of a happy ending, as the reality of the world is ultimately marked by decay, loss, and the pain of letting go of things or people we hold dear. The quote implies that the true essence of love lies in accepting and enduring the various forms of disintegration and suffering that life brings, paralleling the crucifixion of the heart as we experience the passing of what we cherish most.

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