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
Writing is a consequence of having been 'haunted' by material. Why this is, no one knows.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Writing emerges from an obsession or deep engagement with material, and its mystery remains unexplained.
In this quote, Joyce Carol Oates explores the idea that the act of writing is driven by an intense connection to the material or themes that inspire the writer. This haunting connection suggests that writers are often compelled by forces beyond their understanding, highlighting the enigmatic nature of creativity and the subconscious influences that shape artistic expression.
Themes
WritingCreativityInspirationMaterialArtistic Expression
In practice
Example use cases
During a writing workshop, I quoted Joyce Carol Oates to emphasize the drive behind creative writing.
More from Joyce Carol Oates
All quotes βI 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
Similar quotes
First of all there is always that artistic challenge of creating something. Or the particular experience to take slum life in that period and make something out of it in the form of a book. And then I felt some kind of responsibility to my family.
Frank MccourtRead
T.V. has made going to the theatre seem pointless, photography has pretty much killed painting but graffiti has remained gloriously unspoilt by progress.
BanksyRead
A writer lives in awe of words, for they can be cruel or kind, and they can change their meanings right in front of you. They pick up flavors and odors like butter in a refrigerator.
John SteinbeckRead
I was the first critic ever to win a Tony - for co-authoring 'Elaine Stritch at Liberty.' Criticism is a life without risk; the critic is risking his opinion, the maker is risking his life. It's a humbling thought but important for the critic to keep it in mind - a thought he can only know if he's made something himself.
John LahrRead
For me a stained glass window is a transparent partition between my heart and the heart of the world.
Marc ChagallRead
A caricature is putting the face of a joke on the body of a truth.
Joseph ConradRead