The Title

The title of the novel is a phrase from W.B. Yeats’ poem, “Sailing to Byzantium": "Consume my heart away; sick with desire/ And fastened to a dying animal/ It knows not what it is.” David is clearly a kind of dying animal: even in old age, he is driven by sexual desire, fascinated by all things carnal. However, he is constantly aware, during his relationship with Consuela, that he is no longer the young man he used to be. The juxtaposition of their bodies makes that alarmingly clear, not just to him but to everyone who witnesses them together—at least, this is his fear. His body, a withering vessel, cannot keep up with his erotic spirit, which can be described as “fastened to a dying animal.” He cannot understand why a young, beautiful woman, who could date any man she wants, would want...