--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A novel, in the end, is a container, a…" description: "\"A novel, in the end, is a container, a shape which you are trying to pour your story into.\" — Helen Dunmore" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/helen-dunmore-12115_books_a-novel-in-the-end-is-a-container-a-shap_310434.png" --- # A novel, in the end, is a container, a shape which you are… ![“A novel, in the end, is a container, a shape which you are trying to pour your story into.” quote by Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/helen-dunmore-12115_books_a-novel-in-the-end-is-a-container-a-shap_310434.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/helen-dunmore-12115_books_a-novel-in-the-end-is-a-container-a-shap_310434.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/helen-dunmore-12115_books_a-novel-in-the-end-is-a-container-a-shap_310434.png) > “A novel, in the end, is a container, a shape which you are trying to pour your story into.” [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A novel is a vessel that shapes and holds the story you wish to tell. **In simple terms:** A novel is a container for a story. Key Takeaway Choose a structure that fits your narrative. Themes creativity structure storytelling Mood reflective inspirational Type literary analytical When to use this quote - writing a novel - planning a screenplay - structuring a memoir Key Concepts narrative form literary design Questions to Reflect On - How does your story shape the form? - Does the container limit the tale? A Different Perspective A rigid form can stifle creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Container](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/container/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I've heard Stephen King say that when you write a novel you end up revealing everything about yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-cline/i-ve-heard-stephen-king-say-that-when-you-write-a-novel-you-end-up/) [Ernest Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-cline/) > [Sometimes, as in a great novel, you cannot see until you get to the end that God was leaving clues for you all along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-f-winner/sometimes-as-in-a-great-novel-you-cannot-see-until-you-get-to-the-end/) [Lauren F. Winner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-f-winner/) > [Life's like a novel with the end ripped out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-s-like-a-novel-with-the-end-ripped-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is like a novel but with the end ripped out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rascal-flatts/life-is-like-a-novel-but-with-the-end-ripped-out/) [Rascal Flatts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rascal-flatts/) > [I think the novel is at one end of the art-entertainment continuum - the play in the middle - while TV and cinema veer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-think-the-novel-is-at-one-end-of-the-art-entertainment-continuum/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [My favorite sports novel is End Zone by Delillo. It's such a great looking book too, the black cover with the football player on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/my-favorite-sports-novel-is-end-zone-by-delillo-it-s-such-a-great/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) > [“And thus it happens that the reader, the closer he comes to the novel's end, the more he wishes he were back in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/and-thus-it-happens-that-the-reader-the-closer-he-comes-to-the-novel/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“stop running. If this had been a romance novel, this would be the end, the happily ever after, where the reader just knew all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-hunter-pace/stop-running-if-this-had-been-a-romance-novel-this-would-be-the-end/) Alicia Hunter Pace > [“...but that is how the clues God leaves sometimes work. Sometimes nothing comes of them. Sometimes, as in a great novel, you cannot see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-f-winner/but-that-is-how-the-clues-god-leaves-sometimes-work-sometimes-nothing/) [Lauren F. Winner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-f-winner/) > [“You can begin a story in the middle and create confusion by striking out boldly, backward and forward. You can be modern, put aside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/you-can-begin-a-story-in-the-middle-and-create-confusion-by-striking/) [Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) > [“Om is the things, Om is the ingredient, Om is the container and the content of this universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banani-ray/om-is-the-things-om-is-the-ingredient-om-is-the-container-and-the/) [Banani Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banani-ray/) > [I love cunning containers as much as anyone, but I've found that if I get rid of everything I don't need, I often don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/i-love-cunning-containers-as-much-as-anyone-but-i-ve-found-that-if-i/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [Sending a container from Shanghai to Le Havre emits fewer greenhouse gases than the truck that takes the container on to Lyon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-george/sending-a-container-from-shanghai-to-le-havre-emits-fewer-greenhouse/) [Rose George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-george/) > [Life is too small a container for certain individuals. Some of them, such as Alobar, huff and puff and try to expand the container.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/life-is-too-small-a-container-for-certain-individuals-some-of-them/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Plant your vegetables. With a bit of creativity, your container garden can also be a work of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-haley/plant-your-vegetables-with-a-bit-of-creativity-your-container-garden/) Beth Haley ## More by Helen Dunmore > [Mourning Ruby is not a flat landscape: it is more like a box with pictures painted on every face. And each face is also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/mourning-ruby-is-not-a-flat-landscape-it-is-more-like-a-box-with/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [To try to expunge an individual's history is a terrible violation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/to-try-to-expunge-an-individual-s-history-is-a-terrible-violation/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [Reread, rewrite, reread, rewrite. If it still doesn't work, throw it away. It's a nice feeling, and you don't want to be cluttered with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/reread-rewrite-reread-rewrite-if-it-still-doesn-t-work-throw-it-away/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [“The word 'personal' is one of my aversions. Personal loan. Personal hygiene. Personal safety. It's only a way of wrapping up bad news that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/the-word-personal-is-one-of-my-aversions-personal-loan-personal/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [I can remember being in my pram: children stayed in their prams much longer then than they do now. A big bouncy pram with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/i-can-remember-being-in-my-pram-children-stayed-in-their-prams-much/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [“Dad was alive. I believed Conor, but I still didn't really know it. But now I do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/dad-was-alive-i-believed-conor-but-i-still-didn-t-really-know-it-but/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [“Fear of this order is not an emotion. It is like a virus overwhelming every cell of his body, while his mind struggles to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/fear-of-this-order-is-not-an-emotion-it-is-like-a-virus-overwhelming/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [“Our houses are palaces to those who have none.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/our-houses-are-palaces-to-those-who-have-none/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [I could start with Mandelstam, who was a huge influence on my early writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/i-could-start-with-mandelstam-who-was-a-huge-influence-on-my-early/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [My first collection of poems was published by Bloodaxe Books, which was then a very new imprint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/my-first-collection-of-poems-was-published-by-bloodaxe-books-which/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [“It seemed to me that there was a self-interest hidden in the core of all of us, which cooled us when we contemplated any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/it-seemed-to-me-that-there-was-a-self-interest-hidden-in-the-core-of/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [A problem with a piece of writing often clarifies itself if you go for a long walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/a-problem-with-a-piece-of-writing-often-clarifies-itself-if-you-go/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [“You have to keep on with a house, day after day, I think. Heating, cleaning, opening and closing windows, making sounds to fill the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/you-have-to-keep-on-with-a-house-day-after-day-i-think-heating/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [I hope that readers will tear through my books because they can't stop themselves - and then, maybe, read them again and find new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/i-hope-that-readers-will-tear-through-my-books-because-they-can-t/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [If the garden of Eden really exists it does so moment by moment, fragmented and tough, cropping up like a fan of buddleia high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/if-the-garden-of-eden-really-exists-it-does-so-moment-by-moment/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) [Explore all 56 Helen Dunmore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) ## 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. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. 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 > [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": "A novel, in the end, is a container, a shape which you are trying to pour your story into.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Helen Dunmore" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/a-novel-in-the-end-is-a-container-a-shape-which-you-are-trying-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/a-novel-in-the-end-is-a-container-a-shape-which-you-are-trying-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/helen-dunmore-12115_books_a-novel-in-the-end-is-a-container-a-shap_310434.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/helen-dunmore-12115_books_a-novel-in-the-end-is-a-container-a-shap_310434.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/helen-dunmore-12115_books_a-novel-in-the-end-is-a-container-a-shap_310434.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A novel, in the end, is a container, a shape which you are trying to pour your story into.” — Helen Dunmore", "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": "Helen Dunmore", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A novel, in the end, is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/a-novel-in-the-end-is-a-container-a-shape-which-you-are-trying-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/a-novel-in-the-end-is-a-container-a-shape-which-you-are-trying-to/#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 } } ] } ```