I cannot remember exactly when or where one of us stumbled upon the words un petite mort, but the phrase has made a lasting impression on us.
Some people may find it strange that two young women find the French term for ‘orgasm’ so relevant to their lives. But we insist that it is not as bizarre or perverted as it seems. Think of how many moments in a week are orgasmic in a completely non-sexual way. Like uncovering a pair of Chloe heels under a hideous shoe pile at Loehmann’s, that happen to be in your size, and in mint condition. Or inhaling a gooey slice of pizza after a night of drinking to excess on a daily calorie restricted diet.
The literal translation of the phrase is “a small death”, which we find particularly fantastic because we had already been using a version of that description for years! If we were laughing at something riotously funny, we were DYING!! If something happened that was just insane, like your friend getting engaged to an inmate of a maximum security prison (20 years her senior), we would say, “Could you DIE, right now?!!” Or if we just found out something amazing, “I just died a little bit right now.”
Above all, however, the most appealing thing about un petit mort is that it is, by nature, French, which is a state of being Jo and I strive for the way other people strive for religious awakenings, or nirvana.
No comments:
Post a Comment