Writing fiction has become a priestly business in countries that have lost their faith.
Interpretation
The act of writing fiction is regarded as a sacred duty in societies that lack spiritual beliefs.
Gore Vidal's quote suggests that in societies where people have diminished faith or belief in traditional spiritual practices, the role of fiction writers takes on an almost sacred nature. This indicates a profound need for meaning and storytelling as a substitute for lost faith, placing writers in a position of responsibility to create narratives that resonate with the human experience.
In practice
This quote can be used to inspire writers at a literary conference.
We must declare ourselves, become known; allow the world to discover this subterranean life of ours which connects kings and farm boys, artists and clerks. Let them see that the important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
American writers want to be not good but great; and so are neither.
The important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
For the average American, freedom of speech is simply the freedom to repeat what everyone else is saying and no more.
Ayn Rand's 'philosophy' is nearly perfect in its immorality, which makes the size of her audience all the more ominous and symptomatic as we enter a curious new phase in our society.... To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil.
Envy is the central fact of American life.
I was pirouette and flourish, I was filigree and flame. How could I count my blessings when I didn't know their names?
Acutely aware of the poverty of my means, language became obstacle. At every page I thought, 'That's not it.' So I began again with other verbs and other images. No, that wasn't it either. But what exactly was that it I was searching for? It must have been all that eludes us, hidden behind a veil so as not to be stolen, usurped and trivialized. Words seemed weak and pale.
In a way, editing is not unlike the movies. The best books, just like the best movies, are a collaboration. They're only as good as the compromise made between the artists involved.
Novels are not about expressing yourself, they're about something beautiful, funny, clever and organic. Self-expression ? Go and ring a bell in a yard if you want to express yourself.
The condition every art requires is, not so much freedom from restriction, as freedom from adulteration and from the intrusion of foreign matter.
There is no reason to design buildings that are more basic and rectilinear, because with concrete you can cover almost any space.
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