The writer is the person who stands outside society, independent of affiliation and independent of influence.
Don DelilloRead
It's all about time, dimwit time, inferior time, people checking watches and other devices, other reminders. This is time draining out of our lives. Cities were built to measure time, to remove time from nature. There's an endless counting down, he said. When you strip away surfaces, when you see into it, what's left is terror. This is the thing that literature was meant to cure. The epic poem, the bedtime story.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on how modern society measures and consumes time, suggesting it leads to a sense of terror that literature aims to alleviate.
Don DeLillo's quote emphasizes the pervasive nature of time in our lives and how cities and technology contribute to a constant awareness of time passing. He suggests that this relentless ticking can lead to anxiety and fear, stripping away the natural and immersive experiences that literature, such as epic poems and stories, seeks to restore, providing comfort and insight into the human condition.
Themes
TimeLiteratureSocietyAnxietyNature
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of literature, one might quote DeLillo to emphasize how storytelling helps us cope with the pressures of modern life.
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I used to think it was possible for an artist to alter the inner life of the culture. Now bomb-makers and gunmen have taken that territory.
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[I]n the American soul there is a lonely individual standing in a vast landscape. He is either on a horse or driving a car, depending, and either way he’s carrying a gun. This is one of the essential images in American mythology.
Don DelilloRead
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