However much, as readers, we lose ourselves in a novel or story, fiction itself is an experience on the order of memory -not on the order of actual occurrence.
Samuel R. DelanyRead
It is a magic book. Words mean things. When you put them together they speak. Yes, sometimes they flatten out and nothing they say is real, and that is one kind of magic. But sometimes a vision will rip up from them and shriek and clank wings clear as the sweat smudge on the paper under your thumb. And that is another kind.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the power of words and their ability to convey both reality and imagination.
Samuel R. Delany's quote reflects on the dual nature of language, highlighting how words can create meaningful expressions or fall flat. He suggests that while some combinations of words may lack authenticity, others can evoke vivid imagery and profound emotions, showcasing the transformative power of literature and storytelling.
Themes
WordsLanguageImaginationExpressionArt
In practice
Example use cases
In a literary analysis essay, one might cite this quote to discuss the importance of language in storytelling.
More from Samuel R. Delany
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The poems ... are moments when I had the intensity to see, and the energy to build, some careful analog that completed the seeing. ... All I have been left is the exhausting habit of trying to tack up the slack in my life with words.
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I spend a lot of time thinking, if not daydreaming. People think of me as a genre writer, and a genre writer is supposed to be prolific. Since that's how people perceive me, they have to say I'm prolific. But I don't find that either complimentary or accurate.
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All too often, when creative people pick out someone else's creative work as an inspiration, what they end up with is very, very far from the original.
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