--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [Elizabeth Moon's] antagonists are always…" description: "\"[Elizabeth Moon's] antagonists are always evil moustache-twirlers. She could write a book about a golf open and the main rival to the hero would turn o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b1/james-nicoll-22913_antagonist_elizabeth-moon-s-antagonists-are-always_2793153.jpg" --- # \[Elizabeth Moon's\] antagonists are always evil… ![“[Elizabeth Moon's] antagonists are always evil moustache-twirlers. She could write a book about a golf open and the main rival to the hero would turn out to have clubs made from compressed kittens.” quote by James Nicoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b1/james-nicoll-22913_antagonist_elizabeth-moon-s-antagonists-are-always_2793153.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b1/james-nicoll-22913_antagonist_elizabeth-moon-s-antagonists-are-always_2793153.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b1/james-nicoll-22913_antagonist_elizabeth-moon-s-antagonists-are-always_2793153.jpg) > “\[Elizabeth Moon's\] antagonists are always evil moustache-twirlers. She could write a book about a golf open and the main rival to the hero would turn out to have clubs made from compressed kittens.” [James Nicoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nicoll/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author’s antagonists are exaggerated caricatures, using absurd imagery to highlight their villainy, which may undermine narrative depth. **In simple terms:** Villains are overly cartoonish, reducing seriousness. Key Takeaway Seek nuanced conflict. Themes literary criticism humor characterization Mood critical analytical Type literary humorous When to use this quote - writing workshops - editing - story analysis Key Concepts satire exaggeration Questions to Reflect On - Why do authors use absurd villains? - How does this affect reader engagement? A Different Perspective Over‑the‑top villains can feel unrealistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Antagonist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antagonist/) [Antagonists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antagonists/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Clubs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clubs/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Golf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golf/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Kitten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kitten/) [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Rivals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivals/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [...music is sometimes the only benign avenue of communication between antagonists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/music-is-sometimes-the-only-benign-avenue-of-communication-between/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [What’s this? What are the antagonists doing here – infiltrating their own audience? Well, they’re not really. It’s somebody else’s audience at the moment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/what-s-this-what-are-the-antagonists-doing-here-infiltrating-their/) [Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/) > [“I read the story of Red Riding Hood today. I think the wolf was the most interesting character in it. Red Riding Hood was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/i-read-the-story-of-red-riding-hood-today-i-think-the-wolf-was-the/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [Antagonists are always creatives efforts. They get extra attention be it in their costumes to their screen time. I actually enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amrapali-gupta/antagonists-are-always-creatives-efforts-they-get-extra-attention-be/) [Amrapali Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amrapali-gupta/) > [I am bound to furnish my antagonists with arguments, but not with comprehension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/i-am-bound-to-furnish-my-antagonists-with-arguments-but-not-with/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [We want our villains and antagonists to have distinct motivations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-konietzko/we-want-our-villains-and-antagonists-to-have-distinct-motivations/) [Bryan Konietzko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-konietzko/) > [“Try not to pay attention to those who will try to make life miserable for you. There will be a lot of those--in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/try-not-to-pay-attention-to-those-who-will-try-to-make-life-miserable-2/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [“The number of your antagonists are far more greater than that of your companions, so you have to keep a stone of awareness to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/the-number-of-your-antagonists-are-far-more-greater-than-that-of-your/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“Pardon me for budging into concoction of the aristocrats blowing their trumpets, the demagogues' doctrines, the antagonists' squeals, the hypocrites' assertions, the sycophants fawning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mukesh-kwatra/pardon-me-for-budging-into-concoction-of-the-aristocrats-blowing/) [Mukesh Kwatra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mukesh-kwatra/) > [“In general, the best antagonists in fiction represent the protagonist’s Shadow. By confronting and ultimately defeating the antagonist, the hero reintegrates these disparate aspects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-raywood/in-general-the-best-antagonists-in-fiction-represent-the-protagonist/) Will Raywood > [What distinguished the First World War from all wars before it was the massive power of the antagonists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-keating/what-distinguished-the-first-world-war-from-all-wars-before-it-was/) [Paul Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-keating/) > [All roads lead to Rome, but our antagonists think we should choose different paths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-fontaine/all-roads-lead-to-rome-but-our-antagonists-think-we-should-choose/) [Jean de La Fontaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-fontaine/) > [We are the 1000 children of death. We're in-between, on the fence. Non-descript antagonists. I'm in-between, on the fence. Non-descript antagonist!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otep/we-are-the-1000-children-of-death-we-re-in-between-on-the-fence-non/) [Otep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otep/) > [I have a permanent moustache so I can be a 'Movator:' I take random telephone numbers and ring people up and 'movate' them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-boorman/i-have-a-permanent-moustache-so-i-can-be-a-movator-i-take-random/) [Charley Boorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-boorman/) > [I think there is nothing sexier than a handlebar moustache.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isla-fisher/i-think-there-is-nothing-sexier-than-a-handlebar-moustache/) [Isla Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isla-fisher/) ## More by James Nicoll > ["Gun-wielding recluse gunned down by local police" isn't the epitaph I want. I am hoping for "Witnesses reported the sound up to two hundred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nicoll/gun-wielding-recluse-gunned-down-by-local-police-isn-t-the-epitaph-i/) [James Nicoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nicoll/) > [I don't mind hidden depths but I insist that there be a surface.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nicoll/i-don-t-mind-hidden-depths-but-i-insist-that-there-be-a-surface/) [James Nicoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nicoll/) > [After enough concussions the head injuries blur together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nicoll/after-enough-concussions-the-head-injuries-blur-together/) [James Nicoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nicoll/) > [Nothin'g sa'ys q'uality fantas'y l'ike misuse'd apos'tro'phes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nicoll/nothin-g-sa-ys-q-uality-fantas-y-l-ike-misuse-d-apos-tro-phes/) [James Nicoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nicoll/) > [About First Landing by Robert Zubrin: Someday I'd like to read a story about competent people on Mars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nicoll/about-first-landing-by-robert-zubrin-someday-i-d-like-to-read-a-story/) [James Nicoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nicoll/) > [My grandfather for example only died twice, once during the war and once in the 1980s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nicoll/my-grandfather-for-example-only-died-twice-once-during-the-war-and/) [James Nicoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nicoll/) > [Until recently baby production was largely dependent on slave labour; as soon as women are allowed to answer the question "Would you like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nicoll/until-recently-baby-production-was-largely-dependent-on-slave-labour/) [James Nicoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nicoll/) > [This is the sort of book that justifies fatwahs. If WWIII occurred right now, we could die happy knowing Baxter would never write again.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nicoll/this-is-the-sort-of-book-that-justifies-fatwahs-if-wwiii-occurred/) [James Nicoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nicoll/) > [Deadly nightshade is the only plant I have ever been able to get to grow for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nicoll/deadly-nightshade-is-the-only-plant-i-have-ever-been-able-to-get-to/) [James Nicoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nicoll/) > [About Antrax by Terry Brooks: I wonder if he's planning a book called SRS? Or F'lu?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nicoll/about-antrax-by-terry-brooks-i-wonder-if-he-s-planning-a-book-called/) [James Nicoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nicoll/) > [I can't help but notice that everytime I fly somewhere, other people's planes fall out of the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nicoll/i-can-t-help-but-notice-that-everytime-i-fly-somewhere-other-people-s/) [James Nicoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nicoll/) > [Whenever I find my will to live becoming too strong, I read Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nicoll/whenever-i-find-my-will-to-live-becoming-too-strong-i-read-peter-watts/) [James Nicoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nicoll/) > [I think once you start eating people you should stop claiming to be a vegetarian, even if you only eat bad people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nicoll/i-think-once-you-start-eating-people-you-should-stop-claiming-to-be-a/) [James Nicoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nicoll/) > [english doesn't borrow from other languages. english follows other languages down dark alleys, knocks them over and goes through their pockets for loose grammar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nicoll/english-doesn-t-borrow-from-other-languages-english-follows-other/) [James Nicoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nicoll/) > [My father once discovered that one cannot "walk off" gangrene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nicoll/my-father-once-discovered-that-one-cannot-walk-off-gangrene/) [James Nicoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nicoll/) [Explore all 26 James Nicoll quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nicoll/) ## More Antagonist quotes > [For me, in any story that I take, the antagonist is more interesting and multi-dimensional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vetrimaaran/for-me-in-any-story-that-i-take-the-antagonist-is-more-interesting/) [Vetrimaaran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vetrimaaran/) > [Self-love . . . is the sole antagonist of virtue, leading us constantly by our propensities to self-gratification in violation of our moral duties to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/self-love-is-the-sole-antagonist-of-virtue-leading-us-constantly-by/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Evil is relative - and what I mean by that is that our villains are as complex, as deep and as compelling as any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-johns/evil-is-relative-and-what-i-mean-by-that-is-that-our-villains-are-as/) [Geoff Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-johns/) > [Remember that when you meet your antagonist, to do everything in a mild agreeable manner. Let your courage be keen, but, at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/remember-that-when-you-meet-your-antagonist-to-do-everything-in-a/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We honor revelation too highly to make it the antagonist of reason, or to believe that it calls us to renounce our highest powers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/we-honor-revelation-too-highly-to-make-it-the-antagonist-of-reason-or/) [William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/) > [It almost seems as though this roiling world is conspiring to test our patience at every turn. In fact, it is. With this in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-almost-seems-as-though-this-roiling-world-is-conspiring-to-test/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Horror itself is a bit of a bullied genre, the antagonist being literary snobbery and public misconception. And I think good horror tackles our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kealan-patrick-burke/horror-itself-is-a-bit-of-a-bullied-genre-the-antagonist-being/) [Kealan Patrick Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kealan-patrick-burke/) > [I'm a filmmaker, and I was most influenced by Hitchcock's films. How he could plant such deep enriched characters and then make us care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-haggis/i-m-a-filmmaker-and-i-was-most-influenced-by-hitchcock-s-films-how-he/) [Paul Haggis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-haggis/) > [Because the character is a fiction, he's a composite of other contributors to the science that brought this enzyme therapy through the process. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-ford/because-the-character-is-a-fiction-he-s-a-composite-of-other/) [Harrison Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-ford/) > [If you have to be the antagonist, you often have a lot more creative powers. You have a lot more color to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-atherton/if-you-have-to-be-the-antagonist-you-often-have-a-lot-more-creative/) William Atherton > [“I mean, without the antagonist, there would be no story! It’d be like: ‘Once upon a time there was a girl who wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/i-mean-without-the-antagonist-there-would-be-no-story-it-d-be-like/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [“Alice started to understand why people found her repulsive. In stories, anyone who didn't look quite right, who wasn't a perfect human being, was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-byng/alice-started-to-understand-why-people-found-her-repulsive-in-stories/) [Georgia Byng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-byng/) > [Error indeed has often prevailed by the assistance of power or force. Truth is the proper and sufficient antagonist to error.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/error-indeed-has-often-prevailed-by-the-assistance-of-power-or-force/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [We are the 1000 children of death. We're in-between, on the fence. Non-descript antagonists. I'm in-between, on the fence. Non-descript antagonist!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otep/we-are-the-1000-children-of-death-we-re-in-between-on-the-fence-non/) [Otep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otep/) > [From a real antagonist one gains boundless courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/from-a-real-antagonist-one-gains-boundless-courage/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) [Browse all 123 Antagonist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antagonist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "[Elizabeth Moon's] antagonists are always evil moustache-twirlers. She could write a book about a golf open and the main rival to the hero would turn out to have clubs made from compressed kittens.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Nicoll" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nicoll/elizabeth-moon-s-antagonists-are-always-evil-moustache-twirlers-she/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Antagonist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nicoll/elizabeth-moon-s-antagonists-are-always-evil-moustache-twirlers-she/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b1/james-nicoll-22913_antagonist_elizabeth-moon-s-antagonists-are-always_2793153.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b1/james-nicoll-22913_antagonist_elizabeth-moon-s-antagonists-are-always_2793153.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b1/james-nicoll-22913_antagonist_elizabeth-moon-s-antagonists-are-always_2793153.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“[Elizabeth Moon's] antagonists are always evil moustache-twirlers. She could write a book about a golf open…” — James Nicoll", "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": "James Nicoll", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nicoll/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "[Elizabeth Moon's] antagonists are always evil...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nicoll/elizabeth-moon-s-antagonists-are-always-evil-moustache-twirlers-she/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nicoll/elizabeth-moon-s-antagonists-are-always-evil-moustache-twirlers-she/#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 } } ] } ```