We must beware the revenge of the starved senses, the embittered animal in its prison.
J. B. PriestleyRead
There is romance, the genuine glinting stuff, in typewriters, and not merely in their development from clumsy giants into agile dwarfs, but in the history of their manufacture, which is filled with raids, battles, lonely pioneers, great gambles, hope, fear, despair, triumph. If some of our novels could be written by the typewriters instead of on them, how much better they would be.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the romanticism of typewriters and the rich history behind them, suggesting that they hold a depth of experiences that could create better stories than mere human hands.
J. B. Priestley evokes a sense of nostalgia and appreciation for typewriters, portraying them as not just mechanical devices but as vessels of human emotion and history. He emphasizes the profound experiences associated with the creation of typewriters, from struggles and triumphs to the unique romance each machine embodies. The quote suggests that if typewriters could express narrative like humans do, they would produce superior literature, inviting us to recognize the artistry present in both writing and the tools used for creation.
Themes
TypewriterRomanceHistoryLiteratureArt
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about creativity, one might say, 'As J. B. Priestley once suggested, there is a romance in typewriters that speaks to the artist within us all.'
More from J. B. Priestley
All quotes →But some of us are beginning to pull well away, in our irritation, from...the exquisite tasters, the vintage snobs, the three-star Michelin gourmets. There is, we feel, a decent area somewhere between boiled carrots and Beluga caviare, sour plonk and Chateau Lafitte, where we can take care of our gullets and bellies without worshipping them.
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A novelist who writes nothing for 10 years finds his reputation rising. Because I keep on producing books they say there must be something wrong with this fellow.
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Much of writing might be described as mental pregnancy with successive difficult deliveries.
J. B. PriestleyRead
We plan, we toil, we suffer - in the hope of what? A camel-load of idol's eyes? The title deeds of Radio City? The empire of Asia? A trip to the moon? No, no, no, no. Simply to wake just in time to smell coffee and bacon and eggs.
J. B. PriestleyRead
No matter how piercing and appalling his insights, the desolation_x000D_ creeping over his outer world, the lurid lights and shadows of his inner_x000D_ world, the writer must live with hope, work in faith
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