--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fiction is supposed to be immersive and…" description: "\"Fiction is supposed to be immersive and supposed to be entertaining and narrative, so structures have to be buried a little bit. If they come foregroun..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/644/eleanor-catton-2384_being_fiction-is-supposed-to-be-immersive-and_2596521.png" --- # Fiction is supposed to be immersive and supposed to be… ![“Fiction is supposed to be immersive and supposed to be entertaining and narrative, so structures have to be buried a little bit. If they come foregrounded too much, it stops being fiction and starts being poetry - something more concrete and out of time.” quote by Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/644/eleanor-catton-2384_being_fiction-is-supposed-to-be-immersive-and_2596521.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/644/eleanor-catton-2384_being_fiction-is-supposed-to-be-immersive-and_2596521.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/644/eleanor-catton-2384_being_fiction-is-supposed-to-be-immersive-and_2596521.png) > “Fiction is supposed to be immersive and supposed to be entertaining and narrative, so structures have to be buried a little bit. If they come foregrounded too much, it stops being fiction and starts being poetry - something more concrete and out of time.” [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) ## 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 argues that fiction should hide its structure, while overt structure turns it into poetry, which is more concrete and timeless. **In simple terms:** Fiction hides structure; poetry reveals it. Key Takeaway Balance narrative flow and structural clarity. Themes literature structure genre Mood analytical thoughtful Type critical educational When to use this quote - novel writing - literary analysis Key Concepts storytelling poetry creative writing Questions to Reflect On - How much structure serves your story? - When does structure become a barrier? A Different Perspective Over‑emphasis on structure can stifle imagination. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Your job as a writer is to find storylines, narrative structures, and characters to show the things that you believe rather than saying them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/your-job-as-a-writer-is-to-find-storylines-narrative-structures-and/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [The role of fiction is supposed to be divorced from the role of reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-role-of-fiction-is-supposed-to-be-divorced-from-the-role-of/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [I had never thought that I would be involved in narrative structures. 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It has made it possible to look at much larger structures with much smaller crystals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-petsko/synchrotron-light-has-revolutionized-the-field-of-protein/) [Gregory Petsko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-petsko/) > [Emphasis was usually put on the horizontal acceleration factor, for the simple reason that ordinary structures have a built-in safety factor for the vertical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-francis-richter/emphasis-was-usually-put-on-the-horizontal-acceleration-factor-for/) [Charles Francis Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-francis-richter/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. 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Theatre is a purified version of real life, an extraction, an essence of human behaviour that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/theatre-is-a-concentrate-of-life-as-normal-theatre-is-a-purified/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) [Explore all 168 Eleanor Catton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) ## More Being quotes > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. 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I love the peacefulness of being around the water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evonne-goolagong-cawley/i-love-to-fish-i-love-the-peacefulness-of-being-around-the-water/) [Evonne Goolagong Cawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evonne-goolagong-cawley/) > [When you're in your twenties and starting out, the problem is that you care about being cool. Being older, I can care less about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-righton/when-you-re-in-your-twenties-and-starting-out-the-problem-is-that-you/) [James Righton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-righton/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? 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