--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's no such thing as the contemporary…" description: "\"There's no such thing as the contemporary novel. Before I seem the complete reactionary, let me add that I've happily joined in many discussions about ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad5/graham-swift-8547_about_there-s-no-such-thing-as-the-contemporar_2428260.jpg" --- # There's no such thing as the contemporary novel. Before I… ![“There's no such thing as the contemporary novel. Before I seem the complete reactionary, let me add that I've happily joined in many discussions about 'the contemporary novel' where what that usually, unproblematically means is novels that have appeared recently or may appear soon.” quote by Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad5/graham-swift-8547_about_there-s-no-such-thing-as-the-contemporar_2428260.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad5/graham-swift-8547_about_there-s-no-such-thing-as-the-contemporar_2428260.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad5/graham-swift-8547_about_there-s-no-such-thing-as-the-contemporar_2428260.jpg) > “There's no such thing as the contemporary novel. Before I seem the complete reactionary, let me add that I've happily joined in many discussions about 'the contemporary novel' where what that usually, unproblematically means is novels that have appeared recently or may appear soon.” [Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The term “contemporary novel” is often a vague label for recent works, not a distinct literary category. **In simple terms:** “Contemporary” is a vague label. Key Takeaway Question vague literary labels. Themes literature categorization time Mood analytical reflective Type literary critical When to use this quote - book clubs - academic courses - publishing - marketing Key Concepts literary criticism sociology Questions to Reflect On - How does labeling affect readers’ expectations? - What defines a novel’s relevance? A Different Perspective Labeling may oversimplify diverse works. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels/) [Reactionary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reactionary/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I can inhabit any character in a way that is difficult to do successfully in a contemporary novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/i-can-inhabit-any-character-in-a-way-that-is-difficult-to-do/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [The essential gesture of the contemporary novel is to get people to turn the page, to entertain them, and I hate that. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/the-essential-gesture-of-the-contemporary-novel-is-to-get-people-to/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [To me, the contemporary novel suffers from a lack of sense of place - or spirit of place, if you will. It's not important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-osborne/to-me-the-contemporary-novel-suffers-from-a-lack-of-sense-of-place-or/) [Lawrence Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-osborne/) > [When I start getting close to the end of a novel, something registers in the back of my mind for the next novel, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/when-i-start-getting-close-to-the-end-of-a-novel-something-registers/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [“I’m fond of joking that when I get stuck in writing, I’ll kill a character or blow something up (in the novel…usually).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/i-m-fond-of-joking-that-when-i-get-stuck-in-writing-i-ll-kill-a/) [Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/) > [“I concede that a bad romantic novel is embarrassing and indefensible. So is a bad so-called realistic novel. (And it is usually pretentious into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-burchell/i-concede-that-a-bad-romantic-novel-is-embarrassing-and-indefensible/) Mary Burchell > [A novel usually takes me two years. A year to research and plan and dream. Then a year to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/a-novel-usually-takes-me-two-years-a-year-to-research-and-plan-and/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [When I am writing a novel, though, then it's usually three or four hours a day. Ideally, right after lunch until three or four,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-graham-jones/when-i-am-writing-a-novel-though-then-it-s-usually-three-or-four/) [Stephen Graham Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-graham-jones/) > [When I'm writing a novel, I'm usually just trying to write about things that are interesting to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/when-i-m-writing-a-novel-i-m-usually-just-trying-to-write-about/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [A novel usually begins, in my experience, with a thought or image that won't leave me alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/a-novel-usually-begins-in-my-experience-with-a-thought-or-image-that/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [An author who sets about to depict events of the past that have run their course is suspected of wishing to avoid the problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/an-author-who-sets-about-to-depict-events-of-the-past-that-have-run/) [Lion Feuchtwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lion-feuchtwanger/) > [“I've said that anyone who doesn't contradict himself is a dogmatist, and every dogmatist is a reactionary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-ve-said-that-anyone-who-doesn-t-contradict-himself-is-a-dogmatist/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [An artist must be a reactionary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/an-artist-must-be-a-reactionary/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [“Revolution is progressivist and seeks the strengthening of the state; rebellion is reactionary and seeks its disappearance. The revolutionary is a potential government official;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/revolution-is-progressivist-and-seeks-the-strengthening-of-the-state/) [Nicolás Gómez Dávila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [Everyone is a reactionary about subjects he understands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/everyone-is-a-reactionary-about-subjects-he-understands/) [Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/) ## More by Graham Swift > [I like the world we've got. If there is anything special and magical, I have to find it in the ordinary stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-swift/i-like-the-world-we-ve-got-if-there-is-anything-special-and-magical-i/) [Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) > [The idea of stopping is not unmeaningful to me. I think there might be a time when, in theory at least, you'd say, 'Well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-swift/the-idea-of-stopping-is-not-unmeaningful-to-me-i-think-there-might-be/) [Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) > [There has always been, for me, this other world, this second world to fall back on--a more reliable world in so far as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-swift/there-has-always-been-for-me-this-other-world-this-second-world-to/) [Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) > [My upbringing was absolutely not the archetypal writer's upbringing. Even, arguably, the opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-swift/my-upbringing-was-absolutely-not-the-archetypal-writer-s-upbringing/) [Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) > [As a novelist, I suppose I can say that I'm highly articulate. But I know, as a person, in other ways, I'm not always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-swift/as-a-novelist-i-suppose-i-can-say-that-i-m-highly-articulate-but-i/) [Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) > [“There’s this thing called progress. But it doesn’t progress, it doesn’t go anywhere. Because as progress progresses the world can slip away. It’s progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-swift/there-s-this-thing-called-progress-but-it-doesn-t-progress-it-doesn-t/) [Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) > [“And books, she knew by then, were one of the necessities, the rocks of her life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-swift/and-books-she-knew-by-then-were-one-of-the-necessities-the-rocks-of/) [Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) > [Structure that really pays off is all based on emotion. I don't write down an elaborate plan. It's really done by feel. It's one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-swift/structure-that-really-pays-off-is-all-based-on-emotion-i-don-t-write/) [Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) > [The novel that's contemporary in the sense of being wholly 'of now' is an impossibility, if only because novels may take years to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-swift/the-novel-that-s-contemporary-in-the-sense-of-being-wholly-of-now-is/) [Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) > [“But this would have been to ignore the young man of only twenty-five, who, for all his, by now, increasing and debilitating proneness to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-swift/but-this-would-have-been-to-ignore-the-young-man-of-only-twenty-five/) [Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) > [Literature is the voice of the human heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-swift/literature-is-the-voice-of-the-human-heart/) [Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) > [In my work you often get an abrupt shift in time, a jolt. But the emotional logic will take the reader on. I hope.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-swift/in-my-work-you-often-get-an-abrupt-shift-in-time-a-jolt-but-the/) [Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) > [London is like no other city I know in its ability to become beautiful. You can suddenly turn a corner and there are odd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-swift/london-is-like-no-other-city-i-know-in-its-ability-to-become/) [Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) > [When people aren't expecting to be seen, they look their truest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-swift/when-people-aren-t-expecting-to-be-seen-they-look-their-truest/) [Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) > [And I didn't know I loved her till I'd dreamt of her. I didn't know it was the real thing until an illusion had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-swift/and-i-didn-t-know-i-loved-her-till-i-d-dreamt-of-her-i-didn-t-know-it/) [Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) [Explore all 79 Graham Swift quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. 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That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) Browse all 26,122 About quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's no such thing as the contemporary novel. 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