Was it always my nature to take a bad time and block out the good times, until any success became an accident and failure seemed the only truth?
If you believe, as the Greeks did, that man is at the mercy of the gods, then you write tragedy. The end is inevitable from the beginning. But if you believe that man can solve his own problems and is at nobody's mercy, then you will probably write melodrama.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote contrasts two perspectives on human agency: one sees humans as subject to fate, while the other views them as capable of solving their own problems.
Lillian Hellman explores the idea that a writer's perception of human existence profoundly influences their storytelling. If one believes in fate and that humans are controlled by greater forces, their narratives will lean towards tragedy, depicting inevitable downfall and helplessness. Conversely, if one perceives humanity as capable of overcoming challenges and determining their own fate, their stories are likely to reflect a more optimistic view, resulting in melodramatic elements where characters actively engage with and resolve their conflicts.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a literature class discussing the themes of fate and free will.
More from Lillian Hellman
All quotes →If I had to give young writers advice, I would say don't listen to writers talking about writing or themselves.
It is best to act with confidence, no matter how little right you have to it.
Nobody knows what you want except you. And nobody will be as sorry as you if you don't get it. Wanting some other way to live is proof enough of deserving it. Having it is hard work, but not having it is sheer hell.
Failure in the theater is more dramatic and uglier than any other form of writing. It costs so much, you feel so guilty.
It is not good to see people who have been pretending strength all their lives lose it even for a minute.
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We all have two lives: The true, the one we dreamed of in childhood And go on dreaming of as adults in a substratum of mist; the false, the one we love when we live with others, the practical, the useful, the one we end up by being put in a coffin.
To begin with, we put the proposition: pure phenomenology is the science of pure consciousness.
In all times, and all countries especially in those countries which are divided within by religious faith, there are always fanatics who will be well contented to be regarded as martyrs.
I wasn't the biggest Captain America fan, but increasingly, I see him as a great character. Winter Soldier really got into what it meant to actually represent America.