The Book of Laughter and Forgetting Language and Communication Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph), with the exception of Part V, which runs (Part#. "Short Title". Paragraph). Part V has no numbered chapters—only title headings.

Quote #10

They never understood each other, Edwige and he, yet they always agreed. Each interpreted the other's words in his or her own way, and there was wonderful harmony between them. Wonderful solidarity based on lack of understanding. (VII.14.13)

Jan calls out to Daphnis while he and Edwige are strolling down a nude beach together. He has something very specific in mind when he does it—a desire to go back to a place in time when sexual arousal (not fulfillment) was the be all and end all of happy experience. Edwige thinks Jan has the urge to bring humanity back to a more innocent and ideal time and runs away with the idea; she thinks he's brilliant for suggesting it. And so their relationship continues to be based on fortunate miscommunication.