I can't read novels while I'm writing a novel, because somebody's voice creeps in.
T. C. BoyleRead
Sometimes if something is entertaining and amusing, people tend to think that it doesn't have the depth of something that's dramatic. I don't think that's true.
Interpretation
Entertainment can be just as deep as drama, despite appearances.
In this quote, T. C. Boyle challenges the common perception that entertaining and amusing content lacks depth compared to dramatic works. He emphasizes that humor and entertainment can convey significant insights and emotional truths, suggesting that the value of art should not be judged solely by its seriousness or dramatic elements.
In practice
This quote could be used in a discussion about the value of comedic films during a film festival.
I can't read novels while I'm writing a novel, because somebody's voice creeps in.
This is the beauty of fiction. We may not like these characters, but we inhabit them.
I don't care if the audience is 600 Saul Bellows; I'm going to knock them dead with a comedy routine. I'm out there as a missionary for literature because, if people laugh and enjoy themselves, they might actually do something as bizarre as reading the book.
It's true that none of my characters are admirable. But maybe I'm primarily a satirist, and a satirist needs to hold up what's not admirable.
I think the way to be a writer is to experience things, certainly, and be open to things, but at some point to become dedicated to the craft of writing and to create a stable environment for that writing to occur in.
I hope to stay light on my feet, to work in many modes, to seek inspiration always, and avoid the fatal. But, as we all know, it is the price of life to burn out, both metaphorically and literally.
I thought she'd make some comment about the bloodthirsty gods chasing us, but when she finally found her voice, she said, "That boy kissed you!" Leave it to Liz to have her priorities straight.
I like to do my principal research in bars, where people are more likely to tell the truth or, at least, lie less convincingly than they do in briefings and books.
Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.
The entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks.
No sinner is ever saved after the first twenty minutes of a sermon.
Give a critic an inch, he'll write a play.
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