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The newspaper stories were like dreams to us, bad dreams…

“The newspaper stories were like dreams to us, bad dreams dreamt by others. How awful, we would say, and they were, but they were awful without being believable. They were too melodramatic, they had a dimension that was not the dimension of our lives. We were the people who were not in the papers…” quote by Margaret Atwood
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“The newspaper stories were like dreams to us, bad dreams dreamt by others. How awful, we would say, and they were, but they were awful without being believable. They were too melodramatic, they had a dimension that was not the dimension of our lives. We were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print. It gave us more freedom. We lived in the gaps between the stories.”

Margaret Atwood

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The narrator sees media as distant, unrealistic dreams, offering freedom to those omitted from the story.

In simple terms: Media feels unreal, giving space to the unheard.

Key Takeaway

Recognize gaps in narratives.

Themes

media critique alienation freedom

Mood

critical thoughtful

Type

literary social

When to use this quote

  • journalism
  • personal identity
  • social exclusion

Key Concepts

post‑modernism narrative silence

Questions to Reflect On

  • Who are the stories you overlook?
  • How does silence shape identity?
A Different Perspective

Media can also marginalize.

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