Like the collector, the photographer is animated by a passion that, even when it appears to be for the present, is linked to a sense of the past.
Susan SontagRead
The only story that seems worth writing is a cry, a shot, a scream. A story should break the reader's heart.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the profound emotional impact that stories can have on readers, suggesting that true art exposes deep human experiences.
Susan Sontag argues that the most valuable narratives are those that evoke intense emotional responses, such as sorrow or pain. She believes that literature should not shun the difficult themes of life but instead confront them head-on, leading to transformative experiences for both the writer and the reader. A story that touches on deep emotional truths speaks to the heart of humanity, reminding us of our shared vulnerabilities and the depth of our experiences.
Themes
StoryEmotionArtWritingHeartbreak
In practice
Example use cases
In a literary discussion about the power of narrative, one might quote Sontag to illustrate the emotional depth required in storytelling.
More from Susan Sontag
All quotes βScience fiction films are not about science. They are about disaster, which is one of the oldest subjects of art.
Susan SontagRead
Gide and I have attained such perfect intellectual communion that I experience the appropriate labor pains for every thought he gives birth to!
Susan SontagRead
Volume depends precisely on the writer's having been able to sit in a room every day, year after year, alone.
Susan SontagRead
In NY sensuality completely turns into sexuality - no objects for the senses to respond to, no beautiful river, houses, people. Awful smells of the street, and dirt... Nothing except eating, if that, and the frenzy of the bed.
Susan SontagRead
It hurts to love. It's like giving yourself to be flayed and knowing that at any moment the other person may just walk off with your skin.
Susan SontagRead
Similar quotes
Where there is a woman there is magic. If there is a moon falling from her mouth, she is a woman who knows her magic, who can share or not share her powers. A woman with a moon falling from her mouth, roses between her legs and tiaras of Spanish moss, this woman is a consort of the spirits.
Ntozake ShangeRead
The world is a king, and like a king, desires flattery in return for favor; but true art is selfish and perverse β it will not submit to the mold of flattery.
Ludwig Van BeethovenRead
Every bit of me is devoted to love and art. And I aspire to try to be a teacher to my young fans who feel just like I felt when I was younger. I just felt like a freak. I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm trying to liberate them, I want to free them of their fears and make them feel that they can make their own space in the world.
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His friends said, "Why do you have that ugly thing hanging there?" and Bull said, "I like it because it's ugly." All his life was in that line.
Jack KerouacRead
Careers don't interest me. The only thing that interests me is continuing to be a poet on one level or another, whether acting or writing or directing.
Sam ShepardRead
To have the ability to withdraw into oneself and forget everything around one when one is creating - What, I think is the only requirement for being able to bring forth something beautiful. The whole thing is - a mystery.
Edvard GriegRead