Personal relations are the important thing for ever and ever, and not this outer life of telegrams and anger.
E. M. ForsterRead
The king died and then the queen died is a story. The king died, and then queen died of grief is a plot.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A simple sequence of events can be a story, but when emotions and motivations are involved, it becomes a deeper plot.
E. M. Forster's quote distinguishes between a mere recounting of events (story) and a more nuanced narrative (plot) that engages with the characters' emotions and motivations. The difference lies in the depth of meaning that is conveyed, highlighting how grief can transform a straightforward event into a rich psychological exploration.
Themes
StoryPlotGriefNarrativeEmotion
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a writing workshop to discuss the importance of depth in storytelling.
More from E. M. Forster
All quotes βA poem is true if it hangs together. Information points to something else. A poem points to nothing but itself.
E. M. ForsterRead
One must be fond of people and trust them if one is not to make a mess of life.
E. M. ForsterRead
Oxford is Oxford: not a mere receptacle for youth, like Cambridge. Perhaps it wants its inmates to love it rather than to love one another.
E. M. ForsterRead
The fact is we can only love what we know personally. And we cannot know much. In public affairs, in the rebuilding of civilization, something less dramatic and emotional is needed, namely tolerance.
E. M. ForsterRead
One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.
E. M. ForsterRead
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