Writing for children is bloody difficult; books for children are as complex as their adult counterparts, and they should therefore be accorded the same respect.
Mark HaddonRead
At 20, 25, 30, we begin to realise that the possibilities of escape are getting fewer. We have jobs, children, partners, debts. This is the part of us to which literary fiction speaks.
Interpretation
What this quote means
As we grow older, our responsibilities limit our freedom, which is a theme often explored in literature.
This quote reflects the reality that as we age, our lives become filled with various responsibilities such as work, family, and financial obligations, which can restrict our ability to pursue dreams or desires freely. Literary fiction often delves into these themes of personal constraints and societal expectations, resonating with the growing awareness of our diminishing possibilities for escape from those obligations.
Themes
ResponsibilityFreedomLiteratureAdulthoodObligation
In practice
Example use cases
During a book club discussion to highlight how literature reflects our adult lives.
More from Mark Haddon
All quotes →As to the number of novels I've abandoned... I shudder to think. I have thrown away five completed novels, and that's a gruesome enough figure. But not necessarily a waste of effort.
Mark HaddonRead
At twenty life was like wrestling an octopus. Every moment mattered. At thirty it was a walk in the country. Most of the time your mind was somewhere else. By the time you got to seventy, it was probably like watching snooker on the telly.
Mark HaddonRead
And Father said, "Christopher, do you understand that I love you?" And I said "Yes," because loving someone is helping them when they get into trouble, and looking after them, and telling them the truth, and Father looks after me when I get into trouble, like coming to the police station, and he looks after me by cooking meals for me, and he always tells me the truth, which means that he loves me.
Mark HaddonRead
From a good book, I want to be taken to the very edge. I want a glimpse into that outer darkness.
Mark HaddonRead
And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery…and I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything.
Mark HaddonRead
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We are not content to pass away entirely from the scenes of our delight; we would leave, if but in gratitude, a pillar and a legend.
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Life, with all it's sorrows, cares, perplexities and heart-breaks, is more interesting than bovine placidity, hence more desirable. The more interesting it is, the happier it is.
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When a woman conceives her true self, a miracle occurs and life around her begins again.
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