Concept
Crystallization (love)
Overview
Crystallization is a concept, developed in 1822 by the French writer Stendhal, which describes the process, or mental metamorphosis, in which the characteristics of a new love are transformed into perceptual diamonds of shimmering beauty. According to a quotation by Stendhal: "What I call 'crystallization' is the operation of the mind that draws from all that presents itself the discovery that the loved object has some new perfections."
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
Related ideas
Place in the tradition
Part of Philosophy of love.