A novel that does not uncover a hitherto unknown segment of existence is immoral. Knowledge is the novel's only morality.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A novel's moral value lies in revealing previously unknown aspects of human life.
- In plain terms
- Novels should teach us new things about how people live.
- What can you take from it?
- True literature expands our understanding of existence.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What new segment of existence has a book revealed to you?
- Is entertainment enough for a novel?
Another view
Not all literature aims primarily at discovery.
More from Milan Kundera
Do you realize that people don't know how to read Kafka simply because they want to decipher him? Instead of letting themselves be carried away by his unequale…
Permalink to quote #1 The light that radiates from the great novels time can never dim, for human existence is perpetually being forgotten by man and thus the novelists' discoveries…
Permalink to quote #3 Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, w…
Permalink to quote #4
Related quotes
The passion for seeking the truth for truth's sake...can be kept alive only if we continue to seek the truth for truth's sake.
Franz BoasFranz Boas quote #1 Truth and clarity are complementary.
Niels BohrNiels Bohr quote #16 Someone who knows too much finds it hard not to lie.
Ludwig WittgensteinLudwig Wittgenstein quote #128