--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In a novel, I think you have a contract…" description: "\"In a novel, I think you have a contract with the reader to make the character representative - of a moment in history, a social class... for instance, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/edmund-white-2376_books_in-a-novel-i-think-you-have-a-contract-w_1485625.jpg" --- # In a novel, I think you have a contract with the reader to… ![“In a novel, I think you have a contract with the reader to make the character representative - of a moment in history, a social class... for instance, I wanted to make the boy in 'A Boy's Own Story' more like other gay men of my generation in their youth and not like me.” quote by Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/edmund-white-2376_books_in-a-novel-i-think-you-have-a-contract-w_1485625.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/edmund-white-2376_books_in-a-novel-i-think-you-have-a-contract-w_1485625.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/edmund-white-2376_books_in-a-novel-i-think-you-have-a-contract-w_1485625.jpg) > “In a novel, I think you have a contract with the reader to make the character representative - of a moment in history, a social class... for instance, I wanted to make the boy in 'A Boy's Own Story' more like other gay men of my generation in their youth and not like me.” [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author aims to portray a character that reflects a broader demographic, not his personal experience. **In simple terms:** He wants the character to represent his generation, not himself. Key Takeaway Write characters as cultural mirrors. Themes representation identity literature Mood thoughtful analytical Type literary social. When to use this quote - fiction - memoir - social commentary Key Concepts gay history coming‑of‑age authorial intent Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide which traits to universalize? - What responsibilities do authors have to their communities? A Different Perspective Balancing authenticity with personal bias can be tricky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Boy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boy/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Character Representative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-representative-5424816/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Contract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contract/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Gay men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay-men/) [Generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Instance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instance/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make/) [Make Boy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-boy-1955214/) [Make Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-character-732484/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [My generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-generation/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novel Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-think-419956/) [Other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other/) [Own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/own/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Reader Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader-make-1307216/) [Representative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/representative/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-class/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [And that's why books are never going to die. It's impossible. It's the only time we really go into the mind of a stranger,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/and-that-s-why-books-are-never-going-to-die-it-s-impossible-it-s-the/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [What I'm interested in doing in a story is bringing certain different languages, people, events together and then letting the reader make what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/what-i-m-interested-in-doing-in-a-story-is-bringing-certain-different/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [I want all my books to provoke some kind of response in the reader, to make them think something or feel something or both,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-sue-park/i-want-all-my-books-to-provoke-some-kind-of-response-in-the-reader-to/) [Linda Sue Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-sue-park/) > [Don't ever let the other stuff get in the way of your inherent skills as a kick-butt storyteller. Move the reader, make them happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dashner/don-t-ever-let-the-other-stuff-get-in-the-way-of-your-inherent-skills/) [James Dashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dashner/) > [“It takes a great reader to make a great book. (Creative Self-Publishing)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orna-ross/it-takes-a-great-reader-to-make-a-great-book-creative-self-publishing/) [Orna Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orna-ross/) > [“You, the reader, make the book, but the book does not in itself exist between these decomposing covers. You read the script, you are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-henderson/you-the-reader-make-the-book-but-the-book-does-not-in-itself-exist/) [Jason Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-henderson/) > [A man who tells secrets or stories must think of who is hearing or reading, for a story has as many versions as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/a-man-who-tells-secrets-or-stories-must-think-of-who-is-hearing-or/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [A girl can make a boy cry :(](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vishnu/a-girl-can-make-a-boy-cry/) [Vishnu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vishnu/) > [If you make a boy laugh, LIKES you. But if you can make him cry, he LOVES you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-make-a-boy-laugh-likes-you-but-if-you-can-make-him-cry-he/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being gorgeous on the outside will make you get the boy, but being gorgeous on the inside will make you keep the boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-gorgeous-on-the-outside-will-make-you-get-the-boy-but-being/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [He'll be delivered from madness. What then? He'll feel himself acceptable! What then? Do you think feelings like his can be simply re-attached, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-shaffer/he-ll-be-delivered-from-madness-what-then-he-ll-feel-himself/) [Peter Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-shaffer/) > [Make the boy interested in natural history if you can; it is better than games; they encourage it in some schools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-falcon-scott/make-the-boy-interested-in-natural-history-if-you-can-it-is-better/) [Robert Falcon Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-falcon-scott/) > [I took a good deal o' pains with his eddication, sir; let him run in the streets when he was very young, and shift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-took-a-good-deal-o-pains-with-his-eddication-sir-let-him-run-in-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“I am not sure that the best way to make a boy love the English poets might not be forbid him to read them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/i-am-not-sure-that-the-best-way-to-make-a-boy-love-the-english-poets/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [Many kids only think about the present moment and don't realize that they are creating a digital footprint, which will follow you forever! You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyra-banks/many-kids-only-think-about-the-present-moment-and-don-t-realize-that/) [Tyra Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyra-banks/) ## More by Edmund White > [The talk shows in the States want celebrities, not authors. In France, it is different; writers are called upon to comment on everything. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-talk-shows-in-the-states-want-celebrities-not-authors-in-france/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Just like Barack Obama, my views on gay marriage have evolved, and now I am a reluctant groom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/just-like-barack-obama-my-views-on-gay-marriage-have-evolved-and-now/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [In 'A Boy's Own Story' and 'Jack Holmes and His Friend,' my idea was to take someone totally different from my real self and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-a-boy-s-own-story-and-jack-holmes-and-his-friend-my-idea-was-to/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Everyone seems agreed that writing about sex is perilous, partly because it threatens to swamp highly individualised characters in a generic, featureless activity (much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/everyone-seems-agreed-that-writing-about-sex-is-perilous-partly/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > ['The Sound of Things Falling' may be a page turner, but it's also a deep meditation on fate and death. Even in translation, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-sound-of-things-falling-may-be-a-page-turner-but-it-s-also-a-deep/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [If you're a beach person or a golfer, Key West is not for you. Most of the sand has been imported, and the water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/if-you-re-a-beach-person-or-a-golfer-key-west-is-not-for-you-most-of/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [First, I was opposed to gay marriage because it seemed like one more way that gays were wanting to assimilate. When I realized the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/first-i-was-opposed-to-gay-marriage-because-it-seemed-like-one-more/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [From my mother I learned just how violent and unquenchable a woman's loneliness can be. She had been sheltered excessively by her husband and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/from-my-mother-i-learned-just-how-violent-and-unquenchable-a-woman-s/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [From an early age, I had the idea that writing was truth-telling. It's on the record. Everybody can see it. Maybe it goes back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/from-an-early-age-i-had-the-idea-that-writing-was-truth-telling-it-s/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Since, in the best Southern tradition, I was named Edmund Valentine White III, sometimes when people look up my books on Amazon they find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/since-in-the-best-southern-tradition-i-was-named-edmund-valentine/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [When I was young, I despised old people. I was provincial and narrow-minded. It's the reason I stayed stupid so long. If you only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/when-i-was-young-i-despised-old-people-i-was-provincial-and-narrow/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Key West is the place where your sickly house plant back in New York grows to 10 ft. It's also the place where an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/key-west-is-the-place-where-your-sickly-house-plant-back-in-new-york/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [“In the past, when gays were very flamboyant as drag queens or as leather queens or whatever, that just amused people. And most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-the-past-when-gays-were-very-flamboyant-as-drag-queens-or-as/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [When a woman falls in love with me, I feel guilty. I am convinced that it's pure obstinacy that keeps me from reciprocating her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/when-a-woman-falls-in-love-with-me-i-feel-guilty-i-am-convinced-that/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [While writing 'City Boy,' I relied mainly on my own memories. In particular, I was able to describe the effect of gay liberation on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/while-writing-city-boy-i-relied-mainly-on-my-own-memories-in/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) [Explore all 166 Edmund White quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) ## 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. 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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": "In a novel, I think you have a contract with the reader to make the character representative - of a moment in history, a social class... for instance, I wanted to make the boy in 'A Boy's Own Story' more like other gay men of my generation in their youth and not like me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edmund White" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-a-novel-i-think-you-have-a-contract-with-the-reader-to-make-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-a-novel-i-think-you-have-a-contract-with-the-reader-to-make-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/edmund-white-2376_books_in-a-novel-i-think-you-have-a-contract-w_1485625.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/edmund-white-2376_books_in-a-novel-i-think-you-have-a-contract-w_1485625.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/edmund-white-2376_books_in-a-novel-i-think-you-have-a-contract-w_1485625.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In a novel, I think you have a contract with the reader to make the character representative - of a moment…” — Edmund White", "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": "Edmund White", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In a novel, I think you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-a-novel-i-think-you-have-a-contract-with-the-reader-to-make-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-a-novel-i-think-you-have-a-contract-with-the-reader-to-make-the/#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 } } ] } ```