--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No new reader, however charitable, could…" description: "\"No new reader, however charitable, could open “Fifty Shades of Grey,” browse a few paragraphs, and reasonably conclude that the author was writing in h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77d/anthony-lane-33469_books_no-new-reader-however-charitable-could-o_1467852.png" --- # No new reader, however charitable, could open “Fifty… ![“No new reader, however charitable, could open “Fifty Shades of Grey,” browse a few paragraphs, and reasonably conclude that the author was writing in her first language, or even her fourth.” quote by Anthony Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77d/anthony-lane-33469_books_no-new-reader-however-charitable-could-o_1467852.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77d/anthony-lane-33469_books_no-new-reader-however-charitable-could-o_1467852.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77d/anthony-lane-33469_books_no-new-reader-however-charitable-could-o_1467852.png) > “No new reader, however charitable, could open “Fifty Shades of Grey,” browse a few paragraphs, and reasonably conclude that the author was writing in her first language, or even her fourth.” [Anthony Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lane/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiques a reader’s ability to assess a novel’s language proficiency based on limited exposure. **In simple terms:** Hard to judge language skill from a few pages. Key Takeaway Avoid superficial judgments. Themes literature language criticism reading judgment Mood analytical skeptical Type critical inquisitive When to use this quote - book clubs - literary criticism - language teaching - publishing decisions Key Concepts language proficiency critical reading cultural bias Questions to Reflect On - How does limited exposure affect interpretation? - What criteria better assess language mastery? A Different Perspective Readers may misinterpret stylistic choices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Author Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/author-writing-1612959/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Charitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charitable/) [Fifty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fifty/) [Fifty shades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fifty-shades/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Fourth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fourth/) [Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grey/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [New Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-reader-2068986/) [Paragraph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paragraph/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Reader Charitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader-charitable-5318955/) [Shade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shade/) [Shades Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shades-grey/) [Shades of grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shades-of-grey/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I feel like I'm the only person - or woman, at least - who hasn't read 'Fifty Shades of Grey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-gugino/i-feel-like-i-m-the-only-person-or-woman-at-least-who-hasn-t-read/) [Carla Gugino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-gugino/) > [“I had started on the marriage and motherhood beat by accident with a post on my personal, read only by friends, blog called ‘Fifty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/i-had-started-on-the-marriage-and-motherhood-beat-by-accident-with-a/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [“Nothing like a good rib tickling read like Fifty Shades of Grey”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz/nothing-like-a-good-rib-tickling-read-like-fifty-shades-of-grey/) [Liz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz/) > [“The old lady goes back to her paperback (it's Fifty Shades of Grey, and not her first trip through it, from the battered look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-old-lady-goes-back-to-her-paperback-it-s-fifty-shades-of-grey-and/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Who here actually thinks I would do Fifty Shades of Grey as a movie? Like really. For real. In real life... ? ... Good.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/who-here-actually-thinks-i-would-do-fifty-shades-of-grey-as-a-movie/) [Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/) > [I think it's common sense to shy away from the erotic. Perhaps this grand experiment, which started with Lady Chatterley's Lover, of seeing what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-think-it-s-common-sense-to-shy-away-from-the-erotic-perhaps-this/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [Fifty Shades of Grey doesn't hold a candle to the masochism fix I get from coming to work every Monday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fifty-shades-of-grey-doesn-t-hold-a-candle-to-the-masochism-fix-i-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sorry the casting of Fifty Shades of Grey has caused you to completely revamp your masturbation fantasies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sorry-the-casting-of-fifty-shades-of-grey-has-caused-you-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Completely committed to adapting 'Fifty Shades of Grey'. This is not a joke. Christian Grey and Ana: potentially great cinematic characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/completely-committed-to-adapting-fifty-shades-of-grey-this-is-not-a/) [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) > [ From what I hear, \[ "Fifty Shades of Grey" \] is not a way that I feel like I need to be turned on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/from-what-i-hear-fifty-shades-of-grey-is-not-a-way-that-i-feel-like-i/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [“Darlin’, I’ve heard all about fifty shades of grey but I never knew there were fifty shades of denim!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-mcclean/darlin-i-ve-heard-all-about-fifty-shades-of-grey-but-i-never-knew/) [Joanne McClean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-mcclean/) > [ I don't think \[Fifty Shades of Grey is\] a model for anything. Except maybe in bed. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/i-don-t-think-fifty-shades-of-grey-is-a-model-for-anything-except/) [E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) > [“She’s curled up reading Fifty Shades of Grey on her Kindle or The Notebook, whatever losers like her do on a Friday night instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-mccray/she-s-curled-up-reading-fifty-shades-of-grey-on-her-kindle-or-the/) [Carolyn McCray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-mccray/) > [“Well he wasn't exactly standing in my door way. He was on his knees in a Fifty Shades of Grey, ‘red room of pain,’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/well-he-wasn-t-exactly-standing-in-my-door-way-he-was-on-his-knees-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The movie Fifty Shades of Grey is considerably better written than the book. It is also sort of classy-looking, in a generic, TV-ad-for-bath-oil way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-schwarzbaum/the-movie-fifty-shades-of-grey-is-considerably-better-written-than/) [Lisa Schwarzbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-schwarzbaum/) ## More by Anthony Lane > [I do have one very brutal writing ritual. If I'm working in the morning, I don't allow myself a cup of tea until I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lane/i-do-have-one-very-brutal-writing-ritual-if-i-m-working-in-the/) [Anthony Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lane/) > [Cookbooks, it should be stressed, do not belong in the kitchen at all. We keep them there for the sake of appearances; occasionally, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lane/cookbooks-it-should-be-stressed-do-not-belong-in-the-kitchen-at-all/) [Anthony Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lane/) > [“Youth is a clearer witness to the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lane/youth-is-a-clearer-witness-to-the-world/) [Anthony Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lane/) > [We happen upon ourselves when nothing much happens to us, and we are transformed in the process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lane/we-happen-upon-ourselves-when-nothing-much-happens-to-us-and-we-are/) [Anthony Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lane/) > [Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is now fourteen, and, while he gives little sign of doing what Lord Rochester planned to do at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lane/harry-potter-daniel-radcliffe-is-now-fourteen-and-while-he-gives/) [Anthony Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lane/) > [The general opinion of “Revenge of the Sith” seems to be that it marks a distinct improvement on the last two episodes, “The Phantom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lane/the-general-opinion-of-revenge-of-the-sith-seems-to-be-that-it-marks/) [Anthony Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lane/) > [The obvious precedent for Beijing 2008 was the Berlin Olympics, in 1936. Both were showcases for a muscle-flexing nation, although Hitler made an elementary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lane/the-obvious-precedent-for-beijing-2008-was-the-berlin-olympics-in/) [Anthony Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lane/) > [Children, viewed from one angle, are philosophy in motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lane/children-viewed-from-one-angle-are-philosophy-in-motion/) [Anthony Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lane/) > [That is why the ideal literary diet consists of trash and classics; all that has survived, and all that has no reason to survive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lane/that-is-why-the-ideal-literary-diet-consists-of-trash-and-classics/) [Anthony Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lane/) > [“There’s no two ways about it, Tolkien fans are a funny bunch. I should know, for I was one of them. Been there, done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lane/there-s-no-two-ways-about-it-tolkien-fans-are-a-funny-bunch-i-should/) [Anthony Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lane/) > [ There is more suspense, more dramatic torque, in one page of \[Nathaniel\] Hawthorne's heart-racked ruminations onthe Christian consciencethaninall Demi Moore's woodland gallops and horizontal… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lane/there-is-more-suspense-more-dramatic-torque-in-one-page-of-nathaniel/) [Anthony Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lane/) > [We are not merely tempered and schooled by failure but compelled, in however subtle a fashion, to become something other than we were.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lane/we-are-not-merely-tempered-and-schooled-by-failure-but-compelled-in/) [Anthony Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lane/) > [Still, there remains so much to relish and remember.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lane/still-there-remains-so-much-to-relish-and-remember/) [Anthony Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lane/) > [That's the trouble with cookbooks. Like sex education and nuclear physics, they are founded on an illusion. They bespeak order, but they end in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lane/that-s-the-trouble-with-cookbooks-like-sex-education-and-nuclear/) [Anthony Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lane/) [Explore all 15 Anthony Lane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lane/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No new reader, however charitable, could open “Fifty Shades of Grey,” browse a few paragraphs, and reasonably conclude that the author was writing in her first language, or even her fourth.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anthony Lane" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lane/no-new-reader-however-charitable-could-open-fifty-shades-of-grey/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lane/no-new-reader-however-charitable-could-open-fifty-shades-of-grey/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77d/anthony-lane-33469_books_no-new-reader-however-charitable-could-o_1467852.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77d/anthony-lane-33469_books_no-new-reader-however-charitable-could-o_1467852.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77d/anthony-lane-33469_books_no-new-reader-however-charitable-could-o_1467852.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“No new reader, however charitable, could open “Fifty Shades of Grey,” browse a few paragraphs, and…” — Anthony Lane", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anthony Lane", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lane/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "No new reader, however charitable, could...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lane/no-new-reader-however-charitable-could-open-fifty-shades-of-grey/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lane/no-new-reader-however-charitable-could-open-fifty-shades-of-grey/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```