Of the widow's countless death-duties there is really just one that matters: on the first anniversary of her husband's death the widow should think I kept myself alive.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
For the writer, the serial killer is, abstractly, an analogue of the imagination's caprices and amorality; the sense that, no matter the dictates and even the wishes of the conscious social self, the life or will or purpose of the imagination is incomprehensible, unpredictable.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote compares the unpredictable nature of a writer's imagination to that of a serial killer's actions, highlighting the capriciousness and amoral aspects of creativity.
Joyce Carol Oates draws a parallel between the unpredictable impulses of a writer's imagination and the erratic behaviors of a serial killer. This assertion reflects the idea that, despite conscious efforts to control thoughts and creativity, the nature of imagination can be chaotic and elusive, operating outside the boundaries of societal morals and expectations. It emphasizes that the creative process is often driven by forces beyond rational comprehension, pointing to the darker aspects of artistic freedom.
Themes
ImaginationCreativityArtistryCapriceMorality
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a creative writing workshop to discuss the nature of imagination.
More from Joyce Carol Oates
All quotes →I never really knew I wanted to 'be' a writer, but I was always writing from a very young age. It became more conscious as an ideal when I was in my twenties.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
I'm drawn to write about upstate New York in the way in which a dreamer might have recurring dreams. My childhood and girlhood were spent in upstate New York, in the country north of Buffalo and West of Rochester. So this part of New York state is very familiar to me and, with its economic difficulties, has become emblematic of much of American life.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
My writing is often a way of 'bearing witness' for others who lack the education and the opportunity to tell their own stories, so I hope that my writing won't be affected too much by my personal life.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
The worst cynicism: a belief in luck.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
. . . there is a wish in the heart of mankind to be distracted and confused. Truth is but one attraction, and not always the most powerful.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
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