In every first novel the hero is the author as Christ or Faust.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- He notes that first‑time novelists often cast themselves as heroic or tragic figures.
- In plain terms
- He says new authors see themselves as Christ or Faust.
- What can you take from it?
- Early writers tend to romanticize their own role.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why do writers adopt grand archetypes?
- What are the risks of such self‑mythologizing?
Another view
Not all debut authors fit this pattern.
More from Oscar Wilde
Illusion is the first of all pleasures.
Permalink to quote #236 Morality, like art, means drawing a line someplace.
Permalink to quote #238 I have but the simplest taste - I am always satisfied with the best.
Permalink to quote #235
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