Married couples who quarrel bitterly every day may really need each other as deeply as those who appear to be desperately in love.
Edward AbbeyRead
My notion of a great novel is something like a five-hundred-page shaggy-dog story, with only the punch line omitted.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A great novel should have depth and complexity, akin to a long, winding tale that leads to an impactful conclusion.
Edward Abbey's quote encapsulates his view that a great novel is one that intricately weaves a long narrative filled with rich details, yet intriguingly lacks a conventional punchline or resolution. This perspective highlights the journey and experience within literature rather than simply focusing on the ending, suggesting that the value lies in the storytelling itself, inviting readers to savor each moment of the plot rather than rushing to a conclusion.
Themes
NovelStorytellingNarrativeJourneyArt
In practice
Example use cases
During a book club discussion about the intricacies of storytelling.
More from Edward Abbey
All quotes βI love America because it is a confused, chaotic mess - and I hope we can keep it this way for at least another thousand years. The permissive society is the free society.
Edward AbbeyRead
If it's knowledge and wisdom you want, then seek out the company of those who do real work for an honest purpose.
Edward AbbeyRead
The earth is real. Only a fool, milking his cow, denies the cow's reality.
Edward AbbeyRead
I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace.... The rest is only hearsay.
Edward AbbeyRead
Why can't we simply borrow what is useful to us from Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, especially Zen, as we borrow from Christianity, science, American Indian traditions and world literature in general, including philosophy, and let the rest go hang? Borrow what we need but rely principally upon our own senses, common sense and daily living experience.
Edward AbbeyRead
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Writing stories is my way of scratching that itch: my escape from the claustrophobia of individuality. It lets me, at least for a while, live more than one life, walk more than one path. Reading, of course, can do the same.
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When you're traveling constantly, every day you become inspired, and it shows in my work, sonically, lyrically, visually. Conversations with women with different accents and stories told in those accents. I like to create characters based on different people I've met, and relationships. I like to tell stories loosely based on real-life events.
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Cinema gives you the opportunity to be both a grandparent and a grandchild whereas in life you cannot be both at the same time.
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