QuoteProject
A good story, just like a good sentence, does more than one job at once. That's what literature is: a story that does more than tell a story, a story that manages to reflect in some way the multilayered texture of life itself.
Karen Thompson Walker
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

A good story conveys deeper meanings and reflects the complexities of life.

In this quote, Karen Thompson Walker emphasizes that literature serves a dual purpose: to entertain and to provide insight into the multifaceted nature of human existence. She suggests that the richness of a good story lies not only in its narrative but also in its ability to mirror the experiences and emotions of life, suggesting that stories can resonate with the reader on multiple levels.

Themes

StoryLiteratureLifeMeaningReflection

In practice

Example use cases

In a book club discussion, this quote can be used to reflect on why certain stories resonate with readers.

More from Karen Thompson Walker

Just like all great stories, our fears focus our attention on a question that is as important in life as it is in literature: What will happen next?
Karen Thompson WalkerRead

Similar quotes

Every grain of experience is food for the greedy growing soul of the artist.
Anthony BurgessRead
There are only four great arts: music, painting, sculpture, and ornamental pastry- architecture being perhaps the least banal derivative of the latter.
Julia ChildRead
In the ballet studio, it was such an organized and disciplined environment, like I'd never had in my life. Seeing myself in the mirror, surrounded by the classical music, that's when I started to fall in love with dance.
Misty CopelandRead
Things rust, you know, like the heart. My cardiologist said, 'It's a pump; use it - that's the sole advice I've got to give you.' It's the same in playwriting. Don't theorise about it. Do it.
Peter ShafferRead
Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience. They are the currency of human contact.
Robert MckeeRead
We worked the medley on side two of "Abbey Road" out carefully in advance. All of those mini songs were partly completed tunes; some were written while we were in India a year before. So there was just a bit of chorus here and a verse there. We welded them all together into a routine.
George HarrisonRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.