Ma's still nodding. "You're the one who matters, though. Just you." I shake my head till it's wobbling because there's no just me.
Emma DonoghueRead
Ah yes, the paradox of publicity is that even as we do it, we know it's killing off the chance of another reader happening across our book in the ideal state of innocence.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Publicity can draw attention to a work, but it may also taint the pure experience of discovering it.
In this quote, Emma Donoghue highlights the irony of publicity in the literary world. While promoting a book can increase its visibility and readership, it simultaneously diminishes the possibility of a reader encountering the book without preconceived notions, thereby affecting their genuine connection to the story. This paradox raises important questions about the nature of art, discovery, and the role of marketing in literature.
Themes
PublicityReadingInnocenceMarketingLiterature
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about the effects of marketing on literature during a book club meeting.
More from Emma Donoghue
All quotes →At the door, there was one of those moment when two people realize that they like each other more than they know each other. This is nicer than the opposite situation, but more awkward. You try to remember the protocol for touching. You hate to gush, or presume to much, yet you are unwilling to let the moment pass without without some gesture
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You cannot predict literary success; the only way you can possibly aim for it is to do your thing and do it well.
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Books are the air I breathe, so I don't notice the seasons.
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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.
Emma DonoghueRead
...real loneliness is having no one to miss. Think yourself lucky you've known something worth missing.
Emma DonoghueRead
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