--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think any novelist should be…" description: "\"I don't think any novelist should be concerned with literature…literature should be left to essayists.\" — Jacqueline Susann" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/jacqueline-susann-19050_books_i-don-t-think-any-novelist-should-be-con_733427.jpg" --- # I don't think any novelist should be concerned with… ![“I don't think any novelist should be concerned with literature…literature should be left to essayists.” quote by Jacqueline Susann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/jacqueline-susann-19050_books_i-don-t-think-any-novelist-should-be-con_733427.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/jacqueline-susann-19050_books_i-don-t-think-any-novelist-should-be-con_733427.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/jacqueline-susann-19050_books_i-don-t-think-any-novelist-should-be-con_733427.jpg) > “I don't think any novelist should be concerned with literature…literature should be left to essayists.” [Jacqueline Susann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Suggests novelists focus on storytelling while essayists handle literary analysis. **In simple terms:** Novelists should tell stories; essayists should analyze literature. Key Takeaway Let novelists write narratives, essayists critique. Themes literature genre boundaries creative focus critical analysis Mood reflective critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - book clubs - creative writing workshops - academic courses - publishing decisions Key Concepts Narrative craft literary criticism authorial intent Questions to Reflect On - Should novels be judged by literary standards? - How can both forms enrich each other? A Different Perspective May undervalue the literary merit of novels. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Concerned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concerned/) [Concerned Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concerned-literature-3623575/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Literature Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature-left-2957878/) [Literature Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature-literature-363802/) [Novelist Concerned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novelist-concerned-3623574/) [Novelists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novelists/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Think Novelist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-novelist-2054153/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I don't think any novelist should be concerned with literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/i-don-t-think-any-novelist-should-be-concerned-with-literature-2/) [Jacqueline Susann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/) > [The fact is that in this day and age I don't think any novelist can assume that a book will get attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/the-fact-is-that-in-this-day-and-age-i-don-t-think-any-novelist-can/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [I think a novelist must be more tender with living or 'real' people. The moral imperative of having been entrusted with their story looms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bass/i-think-a-novelist-must-be-more-tender-with-living-or-real-people-the/) [Rick Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bass/) > [“Literature is what's left standing after the storm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rude/literature-is-what-s-left-standing-after-the-storm/) [Mark Rude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rude/) > [In other countries, art and literature are left to a lot of shabby bums living in attics and feeding on booze and spaghetti, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/in-other-countries-art-and-literature-are-left-to-a-lot-of-shabby/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [“In other countries, art and literature are left to a lot of shabby bums living in attics and feeding on booze and spaghetti.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/in-other-countries-art-and-literature-are-left-to-a-lot-of-shabby-2/) [James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/) > [I always think the novelist should go to the culture's dark places and poke around. Pose a lot of hard questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/i-always-think-the-novelist-should-go-to-the-culture-s-dark-places/) [Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/) > [I think of myself as a narrative artist. I don't think of myself as a novelist or screenwriter or playwright. All of those modalities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayad-akhtar/i-think-of-myself-as-a-narrative-artist-i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a/) [Ayad Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayad-akhtar/) > [Dostoevski does not tell you what to think about his legend, but he requires that you think about it. The novelist was a deeply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-fields/dostoevski-does-not-tell-you-what-to-think-about-his-legend-but-he/) [Suzanne Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-fields/) > [“To write is to forget. Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life. Music soothes, the visual arts exhilarates, the performing arts (such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/to-write-is-to-forget-literature-is-the-most-agreeable-way-of/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“This isn’t the case with literature. Literature simulates life. A novel is a story of what never was, and a play is a novel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/this-isn-t-the-case-with-literature-literature-simulates-life-a-novel/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [To me, cinema is cinema. Cinema is one big tree with many branches. The same as literature. In literature, you don't just say, 'Oh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-mekas/to-me-cinema-is-cinema-cinema-is-one-big-tree-with-many-branches-the/) [Jonas Mekas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-mekas/) > [We write from life and call it literature, and literature lives because we are in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/we-write-from-life-and-call-it-literature-and-literature-lives/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [I think technical people now should learn literature, because literature teaches you a great deal about how - the depths and variety of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/i-think-technical-people-now-should-learn-literature-because/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [As long as the state permits itself to interfere in the affairs of literature, literature has the right to interfere with the affairs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/as-long-as-the-state-permits-itself-to-interfere-in-the-affairs-of/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) ## More by Jacqueline Susann > [ “Neely O'Hara: \[drunk in a bar\] Who's stoned? I am merely traveling incognito.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/neely-o-hara-drunk-in-a-bar-who-s-stoned-i-am-merely-traveling/) [Jacqueline Susann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/) > [People parted, years passed, they met again- and the meeting proved no reunion, offered no warm memories, only the acid knowledge that time had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/people-parted-years-passed-they-met-again-and-the-meeting-proved-no/) [Jacqueline Susann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/) > [“Everyone should at least try to do the thing he wants to do. Later in life situations and responsibilities force people to compromise. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/everyone-should-at-least-try-to-do-the-thing-he-wants-to-do-later-in/) [Jacqueline Susann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/) > [“They drummed you out of Hollywood, so you come crawling back to Broadway. But Broadway doesn't go for booze and dope. Now get out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/they-drummed-you-out-of-hollywood-so-you-come-crawling-back-to/) [Jacqueline Susann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/) > [I wanted to write it long before I wrote Every Night, Josephine! I'd been thinking about it a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/i-wanted-to-write-it-long-before-i-wrote-every-night-josephine-i-d/) [Jacqueline Susann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/) > [Everyone has an identity. One of their own, and one for show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/everyone-has-an-identity-one-of-their-own-and-one-for-show/) [Jacqueline Susann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/) > [Do not measure the number of tragedies you sustain, but to quantify the success you derive from them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/do-not-measure-the-number-of-tragedies-you-sustain-but-to-quantify/) [Jacqueline Susann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/) > [“So what? You're no worse off than if you hadn't asked. At least this way you give yourself a fifty-fifty chance”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/so-what-you-re-no-worse-off-than-if-you-hadn-t-asked-at-least-this/) [Jacqueline Susann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/) > [“Pensa-se de dia – a – dia. Se começamos a pensar no futuro, no nosso futuro pessoal, perdemos a coragem. E, de repente, lembramo-nos…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/pensa-se-de-dia-a-dia-se-come-amos-a-pensar-no-futuro-no-nosso-futuro/) [Jacqueline Susann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/) > [“She was climbing Mount Everest and the air was invigorating and wonderful. Even if every second verged on crisis, this was part of living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/she-was-climbing-mount-everest-and-the-air-was-invigorating-and/) [Jacqueline Susann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/) > [Never judge anyone by another's opinions. We all have different sides that we show to different people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/never-judge-anyone-by-another-s-opinions-we-all-have-different-sides/) [Jacqueline Susann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/) > [Yes, there's one thing I do want. I want to be aware of the minutes and the seconds, and to make each one count.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/yes-there-s-one-thing-i-do-want-i-want-to-be-aware-of-the-minutes-and/) [Jacqueline Susann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/) > [“Alone on the summit of Mount Everest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/alone-on-the-summit-of-mount-everest/) [Jacqueline Susann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/) > [When you're climbing Mount Everest, nothing is easy. You just take one step at a time, never look back and always keep your eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/when-you-re-climbing-mount-everest-nothing-is-easy-you-just-take-one/) [Jacqueline Susann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/) > [I've got a library copy of Gone with the Wind, a quart of milk and all these cookies. Wow! What an orgy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/i-ve-got-a-library-copy-of-gone-with-the-wind-a-quart-of-milk-and-all/) [Jacqueline Susann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/) [Explore all 32 Jacqueline Susann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "I don't think any novelist should be concerned with literature…literature should be left to essayists.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jacqueline Susann" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/i-don-t-think-any-novelist-should-be-concerned-with-literature/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/i-don-t-think-any-novelist-should-be-concerned-with-literature/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/jacqueline-susann-19050_books_i-don-t-think-any-novelist-should-be-con_733427.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/jacqueline-susann-19050_books_i-don-t-think-any-novelist-should-be-con_733427.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/jacqueline-susann-19050_books_i-don-t-think-any-novelist-should-be-con_733427.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't think any novelist should be concerned with literature…literature should be left to essayists.” — Jacqueline Susann", "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": "Jacqueline Susann", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't think any novelist should...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/i-don-t-think-any-novelist-should-be-concerned-with-literature/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/i-don-t-think-any-novelist-should-be-concerned-with-literature/#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 } } ] } ```