Original artwork, not a still
Tess of the d'Urbervilles ‧ 1891
That cold accretion called the world, which, so terrible in the mass, is so unformidable, even pitiable, in its units.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The speaker sees the world as a cold, gathered mass that seems dreadful when viewed as a whole. Yet examined one person at a time, its parts are not fearsome but weak and worthy of pity. The thought contrasts collective menace with individual fragility.
Context reviewed
