--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not sure any narrative model has been…" description: "\"I'm not sure any narrative model has been more important for me than Benjamin Britten's chamber operas.\" — Garth Greenwell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/garth-greenwell-14165_chamber_i-m-not-sure-any-narrative-model-has-bee_1604288.jpg" --- # I'm not sure any narrative model has been more important… ![“I'm not sure any narrative model has been more important for me than Benjamin Britten's chamber operas.” quote by Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/garth-greenwell-14165_chamber_i-m-not-sure-any-narrative-model-has-bee_1604288.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/garth-greenwell-14165_chamber_i-m-not-sure-any-narrative-model-has-bee_1604288.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/garth-greenwell-14165_chamber_i-m-not-sure-any-narrative-model-has-bee_1604288.jpg) > “I'm not sure any narrative model has been more important for me than Benjamin Britten's chamber operas.” [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Chamber operas by Benjamin Britten profoundly shape his creative perspective, more than any narrative form. **In simple terms:** Britten's operas deeply influence him. Key Takeaway Seek transformative art. Themes music influence creativity Mood contemplative inspired Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - creative writing - musical composition - academic study Key Concepts opera modernism Questions to Reflect On - How does opera affect literary work? - What other art forms inspire you? A Different Perspective May limit exposure to other forms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Benjamin Britten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benjamin-britten-1233305/) [Britten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britten-400716/) [Chamber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chamber/) [Chamber Operas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chamber-operas-6106080/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Models](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/models/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Narrative Model](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative-model-6106081/) [Not sure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-sure/) [Opera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opera/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) ## Related quotes > [My mother sent me to dance and drama classes when I was young, and then I got a stage role in 'Set To Partners'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-eaton/my-mother-sent-me-to-dance-and-drama-classes-when-i-was-young-and/) [Shirley Eaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-eaton/) > [When I was doing 'Beau Travail,' I listened a lot to Benjamin Britten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-denis/when-i-was-doing-beau-travail-i-listened-a-lot-to-benjamin-britten/) [Claire Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-denis/) > [I was 16 when I got a scholarship to study classical composition at a conservatory. By that time I had already listened to Scottish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-bruce/i-was-16-when-i-got-a-scholarship-to-study-classical-composition-at-a/) [Jack Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-bruce/) > [In Britten or Berg, there's a tension between the sweet and the sour, between the familiar and the unfamiliar, the tonal and the atonal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/in-britten-or-berg-there-s-a-tension-between-the-sweet-and-the-sour/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [Britten's opera tends to see things in simpler terms. It portrays an Aschenbach who wants a richer form of sexual fulfillment, and who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/britten-s-opera-tends-to-see-things-in-simpler-terms-it-portrays-an/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [First, my frame of reference for the Britten opera shifted. I'd always thought of Britten's approach in Death in Venice as another exploration of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/first-my-frame-of-reference-for-the-britten-opera-shifted-i-d-always/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [I've been kind of listening to the composer Britten and his rendition of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.' The opening track is a choral section…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dev-hynes/i-ve-been-kind-of-listening-to-the-composer-britten-and-his-rendition/) [Dev Hynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dev-hynes/) > [I'm not sure I can articulate any principles behind the decisions about what to cut and what to keep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/i-m-not-sure-i-can-articulate-any-principles-behind-the-decisions/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) > [It's not a bad idea to call this Cthulhuism & Yog-Sothothery of mine "The Mythology of Hastur" - although it was really from Machen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/it-s-not-a-bad-idea-to-call-this-cthulhuism-yog-sothothery-of-mine/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [If I had my way, I would build a lethal chamber as big as the Crystal Palace, with a military band playing softly, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/if-i-had-my-way-i-would-build-a-lethal-chamber-as-big-as-the-crystal/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [We should look at the Twitter records of Andrew Fraser. Clearly, the ship was on remote control, because he spent all of his time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-newman/we-should-look-at-the-twitter-records-of-andrew-fraser-clearly-the/) [Campbell Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-newman/) > [Tyranny sets up its own echo-chamber.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/tyranny-sets-up-its-own-echo-chamber/) [Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) > [If we believe in the rebirth of our civilization... then clearly this renaissance must begin in the chambers of our own hearts... We cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-feuerstein/if-we-believe-in-the-rebirth-of-our-civilization-then-clearly-this/) [Georg Feuerstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-feuerstein/) > [I'm a storyteller - that's my chamber, that's my box. I'm always tryin' to give you the best story from our side of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raekwon/i-m-a-storyteller-that-s-my-chamber-that-s-my-box-i-m-always-tryin-to/) [Raekwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raekwon/) > [I want to remind priests that the confessional must not be a torture chamber but rather an encounter with the Lord’s mercy which spurs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-want-to-remind-priests-that-the-confessional-must-not-be-a-torture/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) ## More by Garth Greenwell > [I'm not sure I can articulate any principles behind the decisions about what to cut and what to keep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/i-m-not-sure-i-can-articulate-any-principles-behind-the-decisions/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) > [I do think that calling a book nonfiction affirms a kind of responsibility to an attempt at truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/i-do-think-that-calling-a-book-nonfiction-affirms-a-kind-of/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) > [ “\[L\]ike poems, cruising carves privacy out of public spaces. Poems are a kind of private communication that occurs in public speech. And I think… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/l-ike-poems-cruising-carves-privacy-out-of-public-spaces-poems-are-a/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) > [The academy is an incredibly sheltered world, and I do think it's important for writers to get out from under that shelter, at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/the-academy-is-an-incredibly-sheltered-world-and-i-do-think-it-s/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) > [I guess I think that sex and desire and humiliation are central to my experience of consciousness - to my experience of humanness -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/i-guess-i-think-that-sex-and-desire-and-humiliation-are-central-to-my/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) > [I don't think I'm qualified to answer questions about happiness. But I guess I'd say that I don't think you ever get to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/i-don-t-think-i-m-qualified-to-answer-questions-about-happiness-but-i/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) > [Even though I don't sing any more, singing was my first education in the arts, and it's clear to me that my training as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/even-though-i-don-t-sing-any-more-singing-was-my-first-education-in/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) > [Woolf is an important writer for me, someone I read often and who forms part of my ideal of what literature can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/woolf-is-an-important-writer-for-me-someone-i-read-often-and-who/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) > [I take pleasure as a reader in books that tease with a kind of urgency of the real, even if it's only a manufactured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/i-take-pleasure-as-a-reader-in-books-that-tease-with-a-kind-of/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) > [It does seem like between the groundbreaking writing of Edmund White's generation and the work of younger gay writers in their twenties and thirties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/it-does-seem-like-between-the-groundbreaking-writing-of-edmund-white/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) > [I realized, that the life of a musician, even of a very lucky, very successful musician, wasn't really the life I wanted: I hate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/i-realized-that-the-life-of-a-musician-even-of-a-very-lucky-very/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) > [I went back to graduate school because I wanted to avoid being a professional, to try to piece together a life that would let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/i-went-back-to-graduate-school-because-i-wanted-to-avoid-being-a/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) > [My life has had a lot of fits and starts: before I studied literature at all I was a musician, and began undergrad as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/my-life-has-had-a-lot-of-fits-and-starts-before-i-studied-literature/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) > [“I had never wanted permanence before, not really, or I had wanted my freedom more; I had accepted that passionate feeling faded, all my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/i-had-never-wanted-permanence-before-not-really-or-i-had-wanted-my/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) > [The fact remains that books that really put gay people in the center, and especially books that do so in a way that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/the-fact-remains-that-books-that-really-put-gay-people-in-the-center/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) [Explore all 47 Garth Greenwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) ## More Chamber quotes > [I want to remind priests that the confessional must not be a torture chamber but rather an encounter with the Lord’s mercy which spurs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-want-to-remind-priests-that-the-confessional-must-not-be-a-torture/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [I'm a storyteller - that's my chamber, that's my box. I'm always tryin' to give you the best story from our side of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raekwon/i-m-a-storyteller-that-s-my-chamber-that-s-my-box-i-m-always-tryin-to/) [Raekwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raekwon/) > [If we believe in the rebirth of our civilization... then clearly this renaissance must begin in the chambers of our own hearts... We cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-feuerstein/if-we-believe-in-the-rebirth-of-our-civilization-then-clearly-this/) [Georg Feuerstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-feuerstein/) > [Tyranny sets up its own echo-chamber.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/tyranny-sets-up-its-own-echo-chamber/) [Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) > [We should look at the Twitter records of Andrew Fraser. Clearly, the ship was on remote control, because he spent all of his time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-newman/we-should-look-at-the-twitter-records-of-andrew-fraser-clearly-the/) [Campbell Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-newman/) > [If I had my way, I would build a lethal chamber as big as the Crystal Palace, with a military band playing softly, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/if-i-had-my-way-i-would-build-a-lethal-chamber-as-big-as-the-crystal/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [It's not a bad idea to call this Cthulhuism & Yog-Sothothery of mine "The Mythology of Hastur" - although it was really from Machen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/it-s-not-a-bad-idea-to-call-this-cthulhuism-yog-sothothery-of-mine/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Helen Crawfurd and the Women's Peace Crusade, made a march on the City Chambers, distributing an illegal leaflet in front of police and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-gallacher/helen-crawfurd-and-the-women-s-peace-crusade-made-a-march-on-the-city/) [Willie Gallacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-gallacher/) > [Every Senator in this Chamber is partly responsible for sending 50,000 young Americans to an early grave. This Chamber reeks of blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/every-senator-in-this-chamber-is-partly-responsible-for-sending-50/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [A successful current affairs television show seems to be more and more a cross between a music hall turn and a scene in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/a-successful-current-affairs-television-show-seems-to-be-more-and/) [Harold MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) > [This is like playing Russian roulette with a Luger rather than a revolver. One bullet, one chamber - and we're pulling the trigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lynas/this-is-like-playing-russian-roulette-with-a-luger-rather-than-a/) [Mark Lynas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lynas/) > [ It was at Harvard not quite forty years ago that I went into an anechoic \[totally silent\] chamber not expecting in that silent room… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cage/it-was-at-harvard-not-quite-forty-years-ago-that-i-went-into-an/) [John Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cage/) > [The torture and other sadistic abuses of prisoners in Iraq have done immense damage already to America's reputation in the world, and the worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/the-torture-and-other-sadistic-abuses-of-prisoners-in-iraq-have-done/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [Oft in the silence of the night, When the lonely moon rides high, When wintry winds are whistling, And we hear the owl's shrill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/oft-in-the-silence-of-the-night-when-the-lonely-moon-rides-high-when/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Before I went to bed, I sat up till 2 a-clock in my chamber, reading of Mr. Hooke's Microscopical Observations, the most ingenious book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-pepys/before-i-went-to-bed-i-sat-up-till-2-a-clock-in-my-chamber-reading-of/) [Samuel Pepys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-pepys/) [Browse all 365 Chamber quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chamber/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm not sure any narrative model has been more important for me than Benjamin Britten's chamber operas.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Garth Greenwell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/i-m-not-sure-any-narrative-model-has-been-more-important-for-me-than/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chamber" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/i-m-not-sure-any-narrative-model-has-been-more-important-for-me-than/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/garth-greenwell-14165_chamber_i-m-not-sure-any-narrative-model-has-bee_1604288.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/garth-greenwell-14165_chamber_i-m-not-sure-any-narrative-model-has-bee_1604288.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/garth-greenwell-14165_chamber_i-m-not-sure-any-narrative-model-has-bee_1604288.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm not sure any narrative model has been more important for me than Benjamin Britten's chamber operas.” — Garth Greenwell", "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": "Garth Greenwell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm not sure any narrative model...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/i-m-not-sure-any-narrative-model-has-been-more-important-for-me-than/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/i-m-not-sure-any-narrative-model-has-been-more-important-for-me-than/#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 } } ] } ```