Fiction, with its preference for what is small and might elsewhere seem irrelevant; its facility for smuggling us into another skin and allowing us to live a new life there; its painstaking devotion to what without it might go unnoticed and unseen; its respect for contingency, and the unlikely and odd; its willingness to expose itself to moments of low, almost animal being and make them nobly illuminating, can deliver truths we might not otherwise stumble on.
Interpretation
Fiction reveals deeper truths through the exploration of seemingly insignificant experiences and perspectives.
This quote highlights the unique power of fiction to immerse readers in diverse experiences and perspectives, allowing them to discover profound truths about life and humanity that may otherwise go unnoticed. Through careful attention to small details and the exploration of the unconventional, fiction transcends mere storytelling to illuminate aspects of existence that resonate on a deeper level, enriching our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
In practice
During a book club meeting discussing the layers of meaning in fiction.
I knew that the world around you is only uninteresting if you can't see what is really going on. The place you come from is always the most exotic place you'll ever encounter because it is the only place where you recognise how many secrets and mysteries there are in people's lives
Neurologically, I'm a quadriplegic, so virtually everything about my work has been driven by my learning disabilities, which are quite severe, and my lack of facial recognition, which I'm sure is what drove me to paint portraits in the first place.
Well, in the theater, I think you're actually more responsible for what is going on onstage as a director than you are in film.
Jazz music is a language of the emotions.
The best music, you can seek some shelter in it momentarily, but it's essentially there to provide you something to face the world with.
If you're a film composer, you have the music tell the story of the character.
A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
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