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About this quote

What does it mean?
Gioia states writing from a specific place and time defines identity rather than being provincial.
In plain terms
Writing from your specific context builds identity instead of limiting it.
What can you take from it?
Write from your specific context to express identity.

Where it applies

  • creative writing
  • author biography
  • literary analysis

Putting it to work

  • write locally
  • embrace context
  • develop voice

Questions to consider

  • Where does your writing come from?
  • What defines a writer?

Another view

Some universal themes transcend specific places and times.

More from Dana Gioia

  1. In an age of global standardization, regional voices also remind both writer and reader that no life is lived generically. If the purpose of literature is trul…

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  2. Old empires always appeal to modern poets more than new ones.

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  3. Raw artistic talent is abundant. What is truly rare are the cultural circumstances, attitudes, and institutions to develop and perfect it. Few American cities …

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