A literary device where a character's pursuit of an ideal or unattainable desire is intensified by its fleeting, transient nature. This paradoxical longing becomes more powerful and all-consuming precisely because the object of desire is perpetually elusive or only exists as a constructed ideal rather than a tangible reality.
Daniel's relentless pursuit of Michael is an embodiment of the Ephemeral Idealization Paradox, where his desire for her grows more obsessive precisely because the perfect version of her he envisions exists only in the shimmering, unreachable past.
by jiangjiangism March 26, 2025