The Bible is not interested in arguing, because if you state a thesis of belief you have already stated it's opposite; if you say, I believe in God, you have already suggested the possibility of not believing in him. [p.250]
Northrop FryeRead
A reader who quarrels with postulates, who dislikes Hamlet because he does not believe that there are ghosts or that people speak in pentameters, clearly has no business in literature. He cannot distinguish fiction from fact, and belongs in the same category as the people who send checks to radio stations for the relief of suffering heroines in soap operas.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Literature requires suspension of disbelief, and those who cannot do so should not engage with it.
Northrop Frye emphasizes that literature involves a unique engagement with reality and imagination, where readers must willingly set aside their disbelief to appreciate fiction. He criticizes those who critique literary works based on their inability to understand the context of the narrative, equating such readers to people who mistakenly take fictional stories at face value, thereby missing the essence of literary appreciation.
Themes
LiteratureFictionImaginationSuspension Of DisbeliefCritique
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared in a literature class to spark discussion about interpreting fiction.
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