The one ironclad rule is that I have to try. I have to walk into my writing room and pick up my pen every weekday morning
Anne TylerRead
It seems to me that good novels celebrate the mystery in ordinary life, and summing it all up in psychological terms strips the mystery away
Interpretation
What this quote means
Good novels highlight the wonder of everyday experiences, while overly analytical interpretations can diminish that sense of mystery.
Anne Tyler suggests that the beauty and intrigue found in everyday life are essential components of good literature. By focusing solely on psychological analysis, one may overlook the deeper, more mysterious qualities that make ordinary experiences profound and meaningful.
Themes
MysteryOrdinary LifeNovelsPsychologyLiterature
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be included during a book club discussion about the themes in contemporary literature.
More from Anne Tyler
All quotes βI don't know what takes more courage: surviving a lifelong endurance test because you once made a promise or breaking free, disrupting all your world.
Anne TylerRead
I just want to be told a story, and I want to believe I'm living that story, and I don't give a thought to influences or method or any other writerly concerns
Anne TylerRead
I do write long, long character notes - family background, history, details of appearance - much more than will ever appear in the novel. I think this is what lifts a book from that early calculated, artificial stage.
Anne TylerRead
It seems to me that since I've had children, I've grown richer and deeper. They may have slowed down my writing for a while, but when I did write, I had more of a self to speak from.
Anne TylerRead
And she thought what a clean, simple life she would have led if it weren't for love.
Anne TylerRead
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Great, big, serious novels always get awards. If it's a battle between a great, big, serious novel and a funny novel, the funny novel is doomed.
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