I get to use fiction as a way to work out my thinking and to delight readers in the process. I can't think of any deal that's better for me, and I'm always so grateful that readers have indulged me as I argue with myself in my stories.
Ken LiuRead
I've been writing long enough to know that fiction, as a rhetorical mode, works very differently from expository writing. If an author has a specific critique about contemporary society in mind, fiction tends not to be the best means to deliver that critique.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Fiction and expository writing serve different purposes in conveying messages.
In this quote, Ken Liu expresses the idea that fiction, while a powerful mode of storytelling, is not always the most effective way to critique contemporary society compared to expository writing. Fiction often allows for emotional engagement and creativity, but it may dilute the clarity of specific criticisms of social issues, suggesting that authors should consider their medium carefully based on their intended message.
Themes
FictionWritingCritiqueSocietyExpository
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the role of fiction in literature classes.
More from Ken Liu
All quotes →As a species, we tend to live in environments where our own artifacts dominate. The way we shape our environment and are in turn shaped by it is a key theme in my fiction - indeed, it's a key part of a great deal of science fiction.
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In creating the silkpunk aesthetic, I was influenced by the ideas of W. Brian Arthur, who articulates a vision of technology as a language.
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There are so many different narrative traditions across the world, and each of those traditions has evolved dramatically over time. Once I understood that, I felt truly free; I could write and invent the way I wanted to because there never has been only one way to tell a good story.
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The truth is not delicate and it does not suffer from denial—the truth only dies when true stories are untold.
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Labels like 'Chinese Science Fiction' or 'Western Science Fiction' summarize a vast field of work, all of which are diverse and driven by individual authors, with individual concerns.
Ken LiuRead
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