An ink bottle, which now seems impossibly quaint, was still thinkable as a symbol in 1970.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- An old object like an ink bottle once held symbolic meaning recently.
- In plain terms
- Things that seem old now were relevant not long ago.
- What can you take from it?
- Symbols change over time even within decades.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What symbols define our time?
- When does something become quaint?
Another view
It ignores that some symbols persist longer than others.
More from Jonathan Franzen
Depression presents itself as a realism regarding the rottenness of the world in general and the rottenness of your life in particular.
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