Put simply the novel stands between us and the hardening concept of statistical man. There is no other medium in which we can live for so long and so intimately with a character. That is the service a novel renders.
Interpretation
Novels allow readers to connect deeply with characters, providing a counter to the oversimplified view of people as mere statistics.
William Golding emphasizes the unique power of novels to foster a deep and intimate understanding of characters, presenting a personal and nuanced view of humanity. In a world often dominated by statistics and generalizations, novels serve as a vital medium that allows readers to explore the complexities and intricacies of individual lives, moving beyond the cold calculations of data to capture the richness of human experience.
In practice
In a book club discussion, one might quote this to highlight the value of storytelling.
Consider a man riding a bicycle. Whoever he is, we can say three things about him. We know he got on the bicycle and started to move. We know that at some point he will stop and get off. Most important of all, we know that if at any point between the beginning and the end of his journey he stops moving and does not get off the bicycle he will fall off it. That is a metaphor for the journey through life of any living thing, and I think of any society of living things.
The skull regarded Ralph like one who knows all the answers and won't tell.
Maybe, he said hesitantly, maybe there is a beast. The assembly cried out savagely and Ralph stood up in amazement. You, Simon? You believe in this? I don't know, said Simon. His heartbeats were choking him. [...] Ralph shouted. Hear him! He's got the conch! What I mean is . . . maybe it's only us. Nuts! That was from Piggy, shocked out of decorum.
The mask was a thing on it's own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-conciousness.
Man produces evil as a bee produces honey.
Utopias are presented for our inspection as a critique of the human state.
I belong to Russian literature, but I am an American citizen, and I think it's the best possible combination.
Sentences must stir in a book like leaves in a forest, each distinct from each despite their resemblance.
Before I'm a writer, I'm definitely a reader and when I read memoir, I really want it to be true.
I remember going into a bookshop, and the only book I saw with a black child on the cover was 'A Thief in the Village' by James Berry, and I thought, 'Is this still the state of publishing?' Then I thought, 'Either I can whine about it or try to do something about it.'
What I've always tried to find in my books are points at which the private lives of the characters, and also my own, intersect with the public life of the culture.
A book is sent out into the world, and there is no way of fully anticipating the responses it will elicit. Consider the responses called forth by the Bible, Homer, Shakespeare - let alone contemporary poetry or a modern novel.
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