I believe in broken, fractured, complicated narratives, but I believe in narratives as a vehicle for truth, not simply as a form of entertainment, though I love entertainment, but also a way of conveying what needs to be conveyed about the works that I care about.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of complex narratives in conveying deeper truths beyond mere entertainment.
Stephen Greenblatt's quote reflects his belief that narratives, even when broken or complicated, serve as powerful mediums for communicating essential truths about the subjects he is passionate about. While he enjoys entertainment, he prioritizes the narrative's ability to express what matters, indicating that stories can be much more than just enjoyable, but also meaningful and significant.
In practice
During a lecture on storytelling techniques, this quote can highlight the value of narratives in connecting with audiences on deeper issues.
I've been at this for 40 years. And, as an academic, I've been content with relatively small audiences, with the thought that the audience I long for will find its way eventually to what I have written, provided that what I have written is good enough.
What I wanted to do was to get that sense of being in touch with this lost world while holding onto what draws readers and audiences there in the first place.
What matters here are the works - finally without them his life would be uninteresting. What matters, that is, are the astonishing things that he left behind. If we can get the life in relation to the works, then it can take off.
The exercise of reason is not available only to specialists; it is accessible to everyone.
Compared to the unleashed forces of warfare and of faith, Mount Vesuvius was kinder to the legacy of antiquity.
The greatest obstacle to pleasure is not pain; it is delusion.
For those who were desperate, my camera became an object of hope (...)Throughout my year-long coverage of the monsoon world, my strongest conviction was that I was involved in the fundamentals of life.
Kid ... Comics will break your heart.
Do you know what a playwright is? A playwright is someone who lets his guts hang out on the stage.
Art consists of limitation. The most beautiful part of every picture is the frame.
Without tradition, art is a flock of sheep without a shepherd. Without innovation, it is a corpse.
I believe there are two ways of writing novels. One is mine, making a sort of musical comedy without music and ignoring real life altogether; the other is going right deep down into life and not caring a damn.
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