Austen Quote by Howard Jacobson
“No good writer ever merely cheered us up. But there's an unblinking stare into the darkness of things we have to go elsewhere to find. Jane Austen was made of strong stuff. She was too satiric for D. H. Lawrence's taste and too unforgiving for Kingsley Amis's, but you would still not call her hellish.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: Emma, Jane Austen, 1815
A writer must confront harsh truths, not just uplift readers; true art reveals darkness.
In simple terms: Writers must face reality, not just cheer.
Key Takeaway
Embrace depth over comfort.
Themes
literature
truth
artistic integrity
Mood
reflective
serious
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- creative writing
- literary criticism
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
existentialism
satire
critical realism
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance honesty with hope?
- When is comfort more valuable than truth?
A Different Perspective
May alienate readers seeking only comfort.
![“[On Jane Austen:] To believe her limited in range because she was harmonious in method is as sensible as to imagine that when the Atlantic Ocean is as smooth as a mill-pond it shrinks to the size of a mill-pond.” quote by Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8d4/rebecca-west-1248_atlantic-ocean_on-jane-austen-to-believe-her-limited-in_215037.jpg)
![“[Jane] Austen was not a novelist for nothing: she knew that our stories are what make us human, and that listening to someone else's stories -- entering into their feelings, validating their experiences -- is the highest way of acknowledging their humanity, the sweetest form of usefulness.” quote by William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2bb/william-deresiewicz-15471_austen_jane-austen-was-not-a-novelist-for-nothi_62623.jpg)
