"I give the name violence to a boldness lying idle and enamored of danger"

Jean Genet isolates a fascinating relationship between violence and a certain kind of passive yearning. The phrase “a boldness lying idle” strips violence of its commonly perceived activity or aggression. Instead, boldness becomes dormant, a potential rather than an act. There is no immediate explosion, only the coiling of energy, the presence of inner strength or daring, doing nothing for a moment. The idleness here is not laziness but a state of readiness pregnant with possibility and threat. It is a boldness not yet realized into action, hovering on the edge of becoming.

To this mix, Genet adds an emotional undertone: “enamored of danger.” Violence, as he frames it, is not simply the act of harm or destruction. It is a longing, an infatuation with what threatens and excites. He separates violence from brutality or vulgar force, instead suggesting it begins as a psychological romance with risk, a fascination or obsession with transgression, and the thrill that danger brings. The phrase “enamored” softens the usual harshness of violence, suggesting that underneath the surface lies fascination and even desire.

Genet’s formulation makes violence seductive, almost beautiful, a magnetism for those drawn to extremes. He questions the boundary between potential and action: violence is not only what is inflicted outwardly, but also a kind of inward tension, a flirtation with calamity. The union of idling boldness and the allure of danger produces a latent violence, a quality waiting for release, perhaps even cherished or cultivated in secret.

Genet’s observation invites reflection on the impulses that precede violent acts, examining the psychological and existential preconditions. Violence, in his view, is an internal attitude before it is ever externalized, rooted in human desire for intensity, risk, and the unknown, a restless boldness captivated by peril, calmly biding its time.