A writer's job is to imagine everything so personally that the fiction is as vivid as memories.
John IrvingRead
I will tell you what is my overriding perception of the last twenty years: that we are a civilization careening toward a succession of anticlimaxes β toward an infinity of unsatisfying, and disagreeable endings.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects a pessimistic view of contemporary civilization, suggesting that we are consistently heading towards disappointing outcomes.
John Irving's quote expresses a deep concern about the trajectory of modern society, describing it as moving towards a series of anticlimactic events that fail to fulfill expectations. This perspective highlights a broader existential anxiety about the future, where continuous disappointments may overshadow moments of achievement or satisfaction, leading to a sense of futility in the human experience.
Themes
CivilizationDisappointmentAnticlimaxesFutilityFuture
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about societal progress, one might quote this to emphasize the need for re-evaluation.
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I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice. Not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother's death, but because he is the reason I believe in God. I am a Christian because of Owen Meany.
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Because abortions are illegal, women who need and want them have no choice in the matter, and you-because you know how to perform them-have no choice, either
John IrvingRead
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