If certain books are to be termed 'immigrant fiction,' what do we call the rest? Native fiction? Puritan fiction? This distinction doesn't agree with me.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
From the beginnings of literature, poets and writers have based their narratives on crossing borders, on wandering, on exile, on encounters beyond the familiar. The stranger is an archetype in epic poetry, in novels. The tension between alienation and assimilation has always been a basic theme.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on how literature often explores themes of wandering, exile, and the experiences of strangers in unfamiliar territories.
Jhumpa Lahiri's quote speaks to the enduring presence of the 'stranger' as a significant figure in literature, highlighting how narratives frequently revolve around the experiences of those who cross borders and encounter the unfamiliar. It encapsulates the ongoing tension between alienation and assimilation, suggesting that stories often reflect a universal struggle with belonging and identity in a world that is both vast and interconnected.
Themes
LiteratureStrangerNarrativeExileAlienationAssimilation
In practice
Example use cases
In a literary analysis class, one might reference this quote to discuss themes in modern novels.
More from Jhumpa Lahiri
All quotes →When I sit down to write, I don't think about writing about an idea or a given message. I just try to write a story which is hard enough.
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When I am experiencing a complex story or novel, the broader planes, and also details, tend to fall away.
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I think each time you start a story or novel or whatever, you are absolutely at the bottom of the ladder all over again. It doesn't matter what you've done before.
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The sky was different, without color, taut and unforgiving. But the water was the most unforgiving thing, nearly black at times, cold enough, I knew, to kill me, violent enough to break me apart. The waves were immense, battering rocky beaches without sand. The farther I went, the more desolate it became, more than any place I'd been, but for this very reason the landscape drew me, claimed me as nothing had in a long time.
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On the technical side, I hope that my writing is evolving and maturing, ripening, deepening.
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