"Her knee was sharp, narrow, smooth, delicate, within reach. Within reach of my hand. The way my arm was, I only had to extend it to reach her knee. Touching her knee was the most extravagant thing, and at the same time the easiest. Even as I realised how easy, simple the gesture was, I also felt it was impossible. (...) I put my hand on her knee; with a quick move, which didn't give her the time to react. The precision of my gesture prevented her parry. She simply gave me a look, an indifferent look, barely hostile, but she didn't say anything. She didn't move my hand or her leg. (...) If I had grazed her with a finger, if I had tried to caress her brow, she would certainly have withdrawn. But my gesture was to unexpected. She thought it was the beginning of an attack which never came. So she felt reassured. (...) On the one hand I broke the spell I told you about. On the other, the girl's body no longer obsessed me."

Eric Röhmer – Claire's Knee, 1969