On of the reasons that I wanted to study literature was because it exposed everything. Writers looked for secrets that had never been mined. Every writer has to invent their own magical language, in order to describe the indescribable. They might seem to be writing in French, English, or Spanish, but really they were writing in the language of butterflies, crows, and hanged men.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the transformative power of literature and the unique language that writers create to convey deep, complex emotions and ideas.
Heather O'Neill reflects on the true essence of literature, emphasizing that writers dig deep into the human experience to unearth hidden truths and convey them through a distinctive form of expression. This 'magical language' transcends the conventional use of words, tapping into emotions and nuances that resonate on a profound level, allowing readers to connect with the deeper aspects of existence.
In practice
This quote could be used in a speech about the importance of literature in revealing human truths.
Fantasy is not antirational, but pararational; not realistic but surrealistic, a heightening of reality. In Freud's terminology, it employs primary not secondary process thinking. It employs archetypes which, as Jung warned us, are dangerous things. Fantasy is nearer to poetry, to mysticism, and to insanity than naturalistic fiction is. It is a wilderness, and those who go there should not feel too safe.
If [hand-drawn animation] is a dying craft, we can't do anything about it. Civilization moves on. Where are all the fresco painters now? Where are the landscape artists? What are they doing now? The world is changing. I have been very fortunate to be able to do the same job for 40 years. That's rare in any era.
Composing gives me great pleasure... there is nothing that surpasses the joy of creation, if only because through it one wins hours of self-forgetfulness, when one lives in a world of sound.
In the infancy of society every author is necessarily a poet
I don't find my life that interesting. The shows, maybe. But not me.
I change the language with which I use my voice. In opera, I know I have an orchestra behind me; I have to communicate to people very far from me.
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