--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If any art form can accommodate…" description: "\"If any art form can accommodate contemporary culture, it's the novel. It's so malleable - it can incorporate essays, poetry, film. Maybe the challenge ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ee/don-delillo-294_accommodate_if-any-art-form-can-accommodate-contempo_3126597.jpg" --- # If any art form can accommodate contemporary culture, it's… ![“If any art form can accommodate contemporary culture, it's the novel. It's so malleable - it can incorporate essays, poetry, film. Maybe the challenge for the novelist is to stretch his art and his language, to the point where it can finally describe what's happening around him.” quote by Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ee/don-delillo-294_accommodate_if-any-art-form-can-accommodate-contempo_3126597.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ee/don-delillo-294_accommodate_if-any-art-form-can-accommodate-contempo_3126597.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ee/don-delillo-294_accommodate_if-any-art-form-can-accommodate-contempo_3126597.jpg) > “If any art form can accommodate contemporary culture, it's the novel. It's so malleable - it can incorporate essays, poetry, film. Maybe the challenge for the novelist is to stretch his art and his language, to the point where it can finally describe what's happening around him.” [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The novel, as a flexible medium, can absorb contemporary cultural forms and language, enabling it to depict modern life accurately. **In simple terms:** Novels adapt to culture, describing today’s world. Key Takeaway Use the novel to explore and reflect current society. Themes literature culture adaptability Mood analytical thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - publishing - creative writing - academic study Key Concepts novelty interdisciplinary expression Questions to Reflect On - How can writers keep novels relevant? - What new forms can novels incorporate? A Different Perspective Novels may struggle to capture fast‑changing media. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-form/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novelists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novelists/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) ## Related quotes > [America is the world's living myth. There's no sense of wrong when you kill an American or blame America for some local disaster. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/america-is-the-world-s-living-myth-there-s-no-sense-of-wrong-when-you/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [If you look at that incredible burst of fantastic characters that emerged in the late 19th century/early 20th century, you can see so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/if-you-look-at-that-incredible-burst-of-fantastic-characters-that/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [I love contemporary culture. Even the stuff I don't like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-massenet/i-love-contemporary-culture-even-the-stuff-i-don-t-like/) [Natalie Massenet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-massenet/) > [I don't think I have enough of an interest in today's cultural mood to connect with or reject it. I'm compelled by the ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-elbrecht/i-don-t-think-i-have-enough-of-an-interest-in-today-s-cultural-mood/) [Jorge Elbrecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-elbrecht/) > [There can be no stronger proof of the impoverishment of our contemporary culture than the popular - though profoundly mistaken - definition of myth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/there-can-be-no-stronger-proof-of-the-impoverishment-of-our/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Contemporary culture is like the weather - we have to be open to it. I don't like the way it is dismissed or closed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-harlech/contemporary-culture-is-like-the-weather-we-have-to-be-open-to-it-i/) [Amanda Harlech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-harlech/) > [This desire to fashion, to shape, a self and a life has all but gone from a contemporary culture whose emphasis, paradoxically enough, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-trilling/this-desire-to-fashion-to-shape-a-self-and-a-life-has-all-but-gone/) [Lionel Trilling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-trilling/) > [“Our culture tends "to regard the mere energy of impulse as being in every mental and moral way equivalent and even superior to defined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-trilling/our-culture-tends-to-regard-the-mere-energy-of-impulse-as-being-in/) [Lionel Trilling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-trilling/) > [Instead of kids just hearing about beads and baskets and fringe, and about what 'was' and 'were,' we present Native American culture as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buffy-sainte-marie/instead-of-kids-just-hearing-about-beads-and-baskets-and-fringe-and/) [Buffy Sainte-Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buffy-sainte-marie/) > [Classical music is at odds with contemporary culture precisely because of its insistence on the tension between the bodily and intellectual, the material and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-johnson/classical-music-is-at-odds-with-contemporary-culture-precisely/) [Julian Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-johnson/) > [There was no manifestation of contemporary culture that did not indicate to my grandmother how steadfast was the nation's decline, how merciless our mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/there-was-no-manifestation-of-contemporary-culture-that-did-not/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I think a lot of artists no longer want to participate in or be associated with narrative because of its corruptedness in contemporary culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/i-think-a-lot-of-artists-no-longer-want-to-participate-in-or-be/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [There is a central flaw in contemporary culture and a corresponding and related inability to address it. Society seems somehow unable to adequately help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/there-is-a-central-flaw-in-contemporary-culture-and-a-corresponding/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [The most striking feature of contemporary culture is the unslaked craving for transcendence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-delbanco/the-most-striking-feature-of-contemporary-culture-is-the-unslaked/) Andrew Delbanco > [Wealth is power, and power is the only thing about which contemporary culture cares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/wealth-is-power-and-power-is-the-only-thing-about-which-contemporary/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## More by Don DeLillo > [“We all know how the thing we secretly fear is not a secret at all but the open and eternal thing that predicts its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/we-all-know-how-the-thing-we-secretly-fear-is-not-a-secret-at-all-but/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [Everything is barely weeks. Everything is days. We have minutes to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/everything-is-barely-weeks-everything-is-days-we-have-minutes-to-live/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [The novel is the dream release, the suspension of reality that history needs to escape its own brutal confinements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-novel-is-the-dream-release-the-suspension-of-reality-that-history/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“As I listened I thought a featureless baggy man was striking me in slow motion with a well-polished stone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/as-i-listened-i-thought-a-featureless-baggy-man-was-striking-me-in/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“Murray said, 'I don't trust anybody's nostalgia but my own. Nostalgia is a product of dissatisfaction and rage. It´s a settling of grievances between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/murray-said-i-don-t-trust-anybody-s-nostalgia-but-my-own-nostalgia-is/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“She is beginning to think it is possible that all creation is a spurt of blank matter that chances to make an emerald planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/she-is-beginning-to-think-it-is-possible-that-all-creation-is-a-spurt/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“Those who have abandoned belief must still believe in us. They are sure that they are right not to believe but they know belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/those-who-have-abandoned-belief-must-still-believe-in-us-they-are/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“The plane had lost power in all three engines, dropped from thirty-four thousand feet to twelve thousand feet. Something like four miles. When the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-plane-had-lost-power-in-all-three-engines-dropped-from-thirty/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“Grass: I live in a great steel tower that reflects the blazing sun. People catch fire just walking by. The more bodies that pile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/grass-i-live-in-a-great-steel-tower-that-reflects-the-blazing-sun/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“What people discard could make a nation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/what-people-discard-could-make-a-nation/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“Marriage is something we make from available materials. In this sense it’s improvised, it’s almost offhand. Maybe this is why we know so little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/marriage-is-something-we-make-from-available-materials-in-this-sense/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [The true life is not reducible to words spoken or written, not by anyone, ever. The true life takes place when we're alone, thinking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-true-life-is-not-reducible-to-words-spoken-or-written-not-by/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [I've come to think of Europe as a hardcover book, America as the paperback version.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/i-ve-come-to-think-of-europe-as-a-hardcover-book-america-as-the/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [There is a set of balances and rhythms to a novel that we can't experience in real life. So I think there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/there-is-a-set-of-balances-and-rhythms-to-a-novel-that-we-can-t/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“There is no lie in war or preparation of war that can't be defended. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/there-is-no-lie-in-war-or-preparation-of-war-that-can-t-be-defended/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) [Explore all 699 Don DeLillo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) ## More Accommodate quotes > [It is an interesting law of romance that a truly strong woman will choose a strong man who disagrees with her over a weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-is-an-interesting-law-of-romance-that-a-truly-strong-woman-will/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [In one century, we've added 28 years to our average life span - a change so rapid that our brains couldn't possibly have evolved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/in-one-century-we-ve-added-28-years-to-our-average-life-span-a-change/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [In degenerating programmes, however, theories are fabricated only in order to accommodate known facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imre-lakatos/in-degenerating-programmes-however-theories-are-fabricated-only-in/) [Imre Lakatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imre-lakatos/) > [In general, if a couple cannot expand their original rules and boundaries to accommodate personal growth, the relationship disintegrates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/in-general-if-a-couple-cannot-expand-their-original-rules-and/) [Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/) > [Not forgiving prolongs hurt and anger and leads to smoldering resentment, which will make us miserable until it kills us. Resentment destroys the perception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-walters/not-forgiving-prolongs-hurt-and-anger-and-leads-to-smoldering/) Richard Walters > [Once you run for office, you're in it - sort of like going into the military. You'd better be damned sure it is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy-jr/once-you-run-for-office-you-re-in-it-sort-of-like-going-into-the/) [John F. Kennedy Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy-jr/) > [In 2011, I announced that I was going to retire, and my agent panicked. So she says: 'No, no, no. You have to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/in-2011-i-announced-that-i-was-going-to-retire-and-my-agent-panicked/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [With a basic understanding of all humans as brothers and sisters, we can appreciate the usefulness of different systems and ideologies that can accommodate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/with-a-basic-understanding-of-all-humans-as-brothers-and-sisters-we/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [I can't really change my life to accommodate people who are jealous. I don't see why I should.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/i-can-t-really-change-my-life-to-accommodate-people-who-are-jealous-i/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) > [We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/we-travel-to-open-our-hearts-and-eyes-and-learn-more-about-the-world/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [Many women have made the mistake of changing their beliefs to accommodate their work; it must be the other way around. No circumstance is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-ash/many-women-have-made-the-mistake-of-changing-their-beliefs-to/) [Mary Kay Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-ash/) > [You have to be open to change. I never stop making sure that what I say is the best of what could be said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stewart/you-have-to-be-open-to-change-i-never-stop-making-sure-that-what-i/) [Martha Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stewart/) > [Be content with what you have Be satisfied with your dwelling place to accommodate your enterprise, Restrain your tongue, And shed tears of regret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/son-of-masud-abdullah/be-content-with-what-you-have-be-satisfied-with-your-dwelling-place/) Son of Masud Abdullah > [In the years since The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin, Voinovich has sharpened his satire, and Monumental Propaganda is a novel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kalfus/in-the-years-since-the-life-and-extraordinary-adventures-of-private/) [Ken Kalfus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kalfus/) > [To constitute a dispute there must be two parties. 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