Heaven preserve us! what a hotch-potch!” cried Hubert. “Is…
““Heaven preserve us! what a hotch-potch!” cried Hubert. “Is that what they are doing nowadays? I very seldom read a novel, but when I glance into one, I’m sure to find some such stuff as that! Nothing irritates me so as the flatness of people’s imagination. Common life — I don’t say it’s a vision of bliss, but it’s better than that! Their stories are like the underside of a carpet, — nothing but the stringy grain of the tissue — a muddle of figures without shape and flowers without color. When I read a novel my imagination starts off at a gallop and leaves the narrator hidden in a cloud of dust; I have to come jogging twenty miles back to the denouement. Your clergyman here with his Romish sweetheart must be a very pretty fellow. Why didn’t he marry her first and convert her afterwards? Isn’t a clergyman after all, before all, a man?””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Critiques shallow imagination in contemporary literature, lamenting lack of depth and vividness in storytelling.
In simple terms: Disappointment with shallow storytelling.
Key Takeaway
Seek richer, more imaginative works.
Themes
literature
creativity
criticism
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
literary
analytical
When to use this quote
- reading clubs
- creative writing
- literary analysis
Key Concepts
narrative depth
artistic expression
Questions to Reflect On
- How can readers foster deeper imagination?
- What makes a story vivid?
A Different Perspective
Not all modern works lack depth; some excel.