--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Straightforward fiction functions only as…" description: "\"Straightforward fiction functions only as more Bubble Wrap, nostalgia, retreat.\" — David Shields" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/716/david-shields-8815_bubble_straightforward-fiction-functions-only-a_1228933.jpg" --- # Straightforward fiction functions only as more Bubble… ![“Straightforward fiction functions only as more Bubble Wrap, nostalgia, retreat.” quote by David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/716/david-shields-8815_bubble_straightforward-fiction-functions-only-a_1228933.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/716/david-shields-8815_bubble_straightforward-fiction-functions-only-a_1228933.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/716/david-shields-8815_bubble_straightforward-fiction-functions-only-a_1228933.jpg) > “Straightforward fiction functions only as more Bubble Wrap, nostalgia, retreat.” [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fiction can serve as a comforting escape, offering nostalgia and a safe retreat from reality. **In simple terms:** Fiction is comforting escape. Key Takeaway Use stories for emotional relief. Themes escapism nostalgia comfort Mood reflective comforting Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - late-night reading - stress relief - creative writing Key Concepts psychology of reading cultural memory Questions to Reflect On - When do you need escape? - How does nostalgia shape identity? A Different Perspective Escapism can hinder confronting real issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bubble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bubble/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Functions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-functions-2813442/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Nostalgia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nostalgia/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Retreat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retreat/) [Straightforward Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/straightforward-fiction-3792730/) [Wrap Nostalgia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrap-nostalgia-3792731/) ## Related quotes > [I really believe that fiction functions best when stories are allowed to develop in an organic way, so I didn't set out to deliver…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/i-really-believe-that-fiction-functions-best-when-stories-are-allowed/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Only lets certain people in his bubble...you know who u r...so come on in...if your not one of them...stay the HELL OUT!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/only-lets-certain-people-in-his-bubble-you-know-who-u-r-so-come-on-in/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [It's like simulating earthquakes: we can over and over study a bubble, crash, bubble, crash. Then we can see mathematically if there's some regular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-camerer/it-s-like-simulating-earthquakes-we-can-over-and-over-study-a-bubble/) [Colin Camerer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-camerer/) > [The end of the 'tech bubble' in the year 2000 is, of course, widely recognized, as the NASDAQ stock index erased three-quarters of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-autor/the-end-of-the-tech-bubble-in-the-year-2000-is-of-course-widely/) [David Autor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-autor/) > [It was 1999, and we were building a way for college kids to create online profiles for the purpose of sharing... with employers. Oops.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/it-was-1999-and-we-were-building-a-way-for-college-kids-to-create/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [ “The Bradford Exchange—a knockoff of \[Joseph\] Segel’s \[Franklin Mint\] business—created a murky secondary market for its collector plates, complete with advertisements featuring its “brokers”… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zac-bissonnette/the-bradford-exchange-a-knockoff-of-joseph-segel-s-franklin-mint/) [Zac Bissonnette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zac-bissonnette/) > [Trump has manufactured the first-ever Celebrity Immunity Bubble - rendering him incapable of offense, no matter whom he offends. It's brilliant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/trump-has-manufactured-the-first-ever-celebrity-immunity-bubble/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [When I found out about being cast in 'Spider-Man,' it was like this bubble developed around me. I was floating in it for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/when-i-found-out-about-being-cast-in-spider-man-it-was-like-this/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [The media bubble is the ultimate symbol of what's wrong with this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-bannon/the-media-bubble-is-the-ultimate-symbol-of-what-s-wrong-with-this/) [Steve Bannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-bannon/) > [“As a bubble you cannot change the world, this is obvious, but you can still make a child happy! Even the most worthless things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/as-a-bubble-you-cannot-change-the-world-this-is-obvious-but-you-can/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [You know, as an only child, you're kind of in a bubble, and there are all sorts of things about my childhood that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-as-an-only-child-you-re-kind-of-in-a-bubble-and-there-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't even know what that means. People who get credit have to get it from somewhere. Does a credit bubble mean that people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-fama/i-don-t-even-know-what-that-means-people-who-get-credit-have-to-get/) [Eugene Fama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-fama/) > [“But you couldn't unpop a bubble.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/but-you-couldn-t-unpop-a-bubble/) [Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/) > [“Recluses won’t find purpose living out their days in a sacred bubble. Partake in commerce, start working out, volunteer, go on a mission. Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-demarco/recluses-won-t-find-purpose-living-out-their-days-in-a-sacred-bubble/) [M.J. DeMarco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-j-demarco/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) ## More by David Shields > [To be honest, there are parts of 'How Literature Saved My Life' that began as interviews. Someone was telling me that they think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/to-be-honest-there-are-parts-of-how-literature-saved-my-life-that/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [I'm very drawn to the way in which a life lived can be an art of sorts or a failed art, and a life-lived-told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/i-m-very-drawn-to-the-way-in-which-a-life-lived-can-be-an-art-of/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [People like Ian McEwan and Jonathan Franzen completely bore me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/people-like-ian-mcewan-and-jonathan-franzen-completely-bore-me/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [You're one of 6.5 billion people now on the planet, and 99.9 percent of your genes are the same as everyone else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/you-re-one-of-6-5-billion-people-now-on-the-planet-and-99-9-percent/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [We're completely confused about the boundaries between fiction and non-fiction. 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I'm not a good swimmer - I do the breaststroke or elementary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/swimming-is-by-far-the-best-tonic-i-ve-found-for-my-back-i-m-not-a/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [I've always liked this idea that writing should comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable to create trouble. 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Long live the antinovel, built from scraps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/the-novel-is-dead-long-live-the-antinovel-built-from-scraps/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [I am exhausted by traditional memoir. I am exhausted by the architecture of the conventional novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/i-am-exhausted-by-traditional-memoir-i-am-exhausted-by-the/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [I couldn't tell a story if my life depended on it. I'm the world's worst joke-teller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/i-couldn-t-tell-a-story-if-my-life-depended-on-it-i-m-the-world-s/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [The absence of plot leaves the reader room to think about other things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/the-absence-of-plot-leaves-the-reader-room-to-think-about-other-things/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) [Explore all 77 David Shields quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) ## More Bubble quotes > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [“Recluses won’t find purpose living out their days in a sacred bubble. Partake in commerce, start working out, volunteer, go on a mission. Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-demarco/recluses-won-t-find-purpose-living-out-their-days-in-a-sacred-bubble/) [M.J. DeMarco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-j-demarco/) > [“But you couldn't unpop a bubble.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/but-you-couldn-t-unpop-a-bubble/) [Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/) > [I don't even know what that means. People who get credit have to get it from somewhere. Does a credit bubble mean that people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-fama/i-don-t-even-know-what-that-means-people-who-get-credit-have-to-get/) [Eugene Fama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-fama/) > [You know, as an only child, you're kind of in a bubble, and there are all sorts of things about my childhood that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-as-an-only-child-you-re-kind-of-in-a-bubble-and-there-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“As a bubble you cannot change the world, this is obvious, but you can still make a child happy! Even the most worthless things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/as-a-bubble-you-cannot-change-the-world-this-is-obvious-but-you-can/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [The media bubble is the ultimate symbol of what's wrong with this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-bannon/the-media-bubble-is-the-ultimate-symbol-of-what-s-wrong-with-this/) [Steve Bannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-bannon/) > [When I found out about being cast in 'Spider-Man,' it was like this bubble developed around me. I was floating in it for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/when-i-found-out-about-being-cast-in-spider-man-it-was-like-this/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [Trump has manufactured the first-ever Celebrity Immunity Bubble - rendering him incapable of offense, no matter whom he offends. It's brilliant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/trump-has-manufactured-the-first-ever-celebrity-immunity-bubble/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [ “The Bradford Exchange—a knockoff of \[Joseph\] Segel’s \[Franklin Mint\] business—created a murky secondary market for its collector plates, complete with advertisements featuring its “brokers”… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zac-bissonnette/the-bradford-exchange-a-knockoff-of-joseph-segel-s-franklin-mint/) [Zac Bissonnette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zac-bissonnette/) > [It was 1999, and we were building a way for college kids to create online profiles for the purpose of sharing... with employers. Oops.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/it-was-1999-and-we-were-building-a-way-for-college-kids-to-create/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [The end of the 'tech bubble' in the year 2000 is, of course, widely recognized, as the NASDAQ stock index erased three-quarters of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-autor/the-end-of-the-tech-bubble-in-the-year-2000-is-of-course-widely/) [David Autor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-autor/) > [It's like simulating earthquakes: we can over and over study a bubble, crash, bubble, crash. Then we can see mathematically if there's some regular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-camerer/it-s-like-simulating-earthquakes-we-can-over-and-over-study-a-bubble/) [Colin Camerer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-camerer/) > [Only lets certain people in his bubble...you know who u r...so come on in...if your not one of them...stay the HELL OUT!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/only-lets-certain-people-in-his-bubble-you-know-who-u-r-so-come-on-in/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [Every bubble has two components: something - some real trend, and a misconception about that trend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/every-bubble-has-two-components-something-some-real-trend-and-a/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) [Browse all 325 Bubble quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bubble/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Straightforward fiction functions only as more Bubble Wrap, nostalgia, retreat.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Shields" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/straightforward-fiction-functions-only-as-more-bubble-wrap-nostalgia/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bubble" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/straightforward-fiction-functions-only-as-more-bubble-wrap-nostalgia/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/716/david-shields-8815_bubble_straightforward-fiction-functions-only-a_1228933.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/716/david-shields-8815_bubble_straightforward-fiction-functions-only-a_1228933.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/716/david-shields-8815_bubble_straightforward-fiction-functions-only-a_1228933.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Straightforward fiction functions only as more Bubble Wrap, nostalgia, retreat.” — David Shields", "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": "David Shields", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Straightforward fiction functions only as more...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/straightforward-fiction-functions-only-as-more-bubble-wrap-nostalgia/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/straightforward-fiction-functions-only-as-more-bubble-wrap-nostalgia/#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 } } ] } ```