Your favorite literary scenes?

[SeattleUte]

Here is one of my all-time favorite scenes in literature:

"Achilles exploded forward, fury
Incarnate behind the curve of his shield,
A glory of metalwork, and the plumes
Nodded and rippled on his helmet’s crest,
Thick golden horsehair set by Hephaestus,
And his spearpoint glinted like the Evening Star,
In the gloom of night,
Star of perfect splendor
A gleam in the air as Achilles poised
His spear with murderous aim at Hector. . ."

Now THAT is excellent writing. It is so good I find it hard to believe that a primitive bard from pre-Classical Greece could have written it on animal skins without divine intervention. Here are a few others I love:

The false confession in L.A. Confidential

The Battle of Austerlitz in War and Peace

The Battle of Borodino in War and Peace

Antony's speech at Caesar's funeral

Prince Andre falling in love with Natasha playing the harpsichord in War and Peace

Anna Karenina's train of thought before jumping into the train

The Grand Inquisitor in the Brothers Karamozov

The Comanche ambush in Blood Meridian