If a victory is told in detail, one can no longer distinguish it from a defeat.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
Originally, poetry creates the myth, while the prose-writer draws its portrait.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Poetry shapes the essence of myths, while prose provides a detailed depiction of them.
This quote by Jean-Paul Sartre suggests that poetry and prose serve different purposes in the realm of storytelling and expression. Poetry is seen as a creative force that gives rise to myths, encapsulating deep truths and emotions in a succinct and impactful form, whereas prose is the medium that elaborates on these myths, providing a clear picture and deeper understanding of the narratives established by poetry.
Themes
PoetryProseMythArtExpression
In practice
Example use cases
In a literary discussion about the roles of different writing styles, one might say, 'As Sartre noted, originally, poetry creates the myth, while the prose-writer draws its portrait.'
More from Jean-Paul Sartre
All quotes βAll I want is' - and he uttered the final words through clenched teeth and with a sort of shame - 'to retain my freedom.' I should myself have thought,' said Jacques, 'that freedom consisted in frankly confronting situations into which one had deliberately entered, and accepting all one's responsibilities. But that, no doubt, is not your view.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
If you are lonely when you're alone, you are in bad company.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
A kiss without a moustache, they said then, is like an egg without salt; I will add to it: and it is like Good without Evil.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
I wanted pure love: foolishness; to love one another is to hate a common enemy: I will thus espouse your hatred. I wanted Good: nonsense; on this earth and in these times, Good and Bad are inseparable: I accept to be evil in order to become good.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
Night is falling: at dusk, you must have good eyesight to be able to tell the Good Lord from the Devil.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
Similar quotes
As far as I am concerned the paint is the person. I want it to work for me just as flesh does
Lucian FreudRead
Novels are political because in them, we try to identify with people who are not like us. And, in that sense, I like the first-person singular because I have to imitate accurately the voice of someone who is not like me. The third-person singular gives me an authority over a character.
Orhan PamukRead
I believe that as a writer and a director, you're only providing the skeleton of a character, and you're hiring actors to fill it out.
Christopher McquarrieRead
Part of the particular interest and beauty of science fiction and fantasy: writer and reader collaborate in world-making.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
People ask me: βWhat is punk? How do you define punk?' Here's how I define punk: It's a free space. It could be called jazz. It could be called hip-hop. It could be called blues, or rock, or beat. It could be called techno. It's just a new idea. For me, it was punk rock. That was my entrance to this idea of the new ideas being able to be presented in an environment that wasn't being dictated by a profit motive.
Ian MackayeRead
I knew nothing about the technique of story writing, and now, after eighteen years of writing, I still know nothing about the technique, although with the publication of my new novel, Tarzan and the Lost Empire, there are 31 books on my list.
Edgar Rice BurroughsRead