A dogmatic belief in objective value is necessary to the very idea of a rule which is not tyranny or an obedience which is not slavery.
C. S. LewisRead
It is in their 'good' characters that novelists make, unawares, the most shocking self- revelations.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Novelists unintentionally reveal deep truths about themselves through their characters.
C. S. Lewis suggests that when novelists create their characters, the traits they imbue in them often reflect their own values, beliefs, and internal struggles, revealing aspects of the authorsβ personalities that they may not even consciously recognize. This process not only emphasizes the role of character development in storytelling but also highlights the intricate connection between a writer's identity and their narrative creations.
Themes
NovelistsCharactersSelf-RevelationIdentityStorytelling
In practice
Example use cases
In a literary discussion about character depth, one could use this quote to highlight how characters often mirror the author's psyche.
More from C. S. Lewis
All quotes βI enjoyed my breakfast this morning, and I think that was a good thing and do not think it was condemned by God. But I do not think myself a good man for enjoying it.
C. S. LewisRead
Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.
C. S. LewisRead
Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.
C. S. LewisRead
I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. It doesn't change God - it changes me.
C. S. LewisRead
The instrument through which you see God is your whole self. And if a man's self is not kept clean and bright, his glimpse of God will be blurred
C. S. LewisRead
Similar quotes
Oftentimes, especially in the context of an acoustic song, I'm motivated to write by some amount of melancholy.
Chris CornellRead
When a poem is really finished, you can't change anything. You can't move words around. You can't say, 'In other words, you mean.' No, that's not it. There are no other words in which you mean it. This is it.
W. S. MerwinRead
In a machine age, dressmaking is one of the last refuges of the human, the personal, the inimitable.
Christian DiorRead
The first line is the DNA of the poem; the rest of the poem is constructed out of that first line. A lot of it has to do with tone because tone is the key signature for the poem. The basis of trust for a reader used to be meter and end-rhyme.
Billy CollinsRead
When I design buildings, I think of the overall composition, much as the parts of a body would fit together. On top of that, I think about how people will approach the building and experience that space.
Tadao AndoRead
When I don't have a story to tell, I'm a terror to live with.
Steven SpielbergRead