--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't know what issues concerning…" description: "\"I don't know what issues concerning identity have helped contemporary fiction evolve to what it is now. All I know is that the range of voices that are..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/jessica-hagedorn-20937_contemporary_i-don-t-know-what-issues-concerning-iden_551744.jpg" --- # I don't know what issues concerning identity have helped… ![“I don't know what issues concerning identity have helped contemporary fiction evolve to what it is now. All I know is that the range of voices that are being heard and published is a lot more diverse than when I was coming up.” quote by Jessica Hagedorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/jessica-hagedorn-20937_contemporary_i-don-t-know-what-issues-concerning-iden_551744.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/jessica-hagedorn-20937_contemporary_i-don-t-know-what-issues-concerning-iden_551744.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/jessica-hagedorn-20937_contemporary_i-don-t-know-what-issues-concerning-iden_551744.jpg) > “I don't know what issues concerning identity have helped contemporary fiction evolve to what it is now. All I know is that the range of voices that are being heard and published is a lot more diverse than when I was coming up.” [Jessica Hagedorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hagedorn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on how increasing diversity of voices reshapes modern literature, emphasizing identity's role in its evolution. **In simple terms:** Diverse voices change contemporary fiction. Key Takeaway Recognize and support varied perspectives. Themes diversity identity literature evolution representation Mood reflective analytical Type critical observational When to use this quote - publishing - creative writing - literary criticism - academic research Key Concepts cultural studies authorial voice social change Questions to Reflect On - How does identity shape narrative choices? - What barriers still limit diverse voices? A Different Perspective The impact of identity is complex and not solely positive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Concerning Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concerning-identity-4592112/) [Contemporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary/) [Contemporary fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary-fiction/) [Diverse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diverse/) [Diverse Coming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diverse-coming-4592111/) [Evolve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolve/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Evolve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-evolve-4592110/) [Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heard/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Range](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/range/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Jax Cassidy is a brilliant new voice in contemporary fiction. Full of heat, seduction, and romance, her winning characters are sure to capture your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-halliday/jax-cassidy-is-a-brilliant-new-voice-in-contemporary-fiction-full-of/) [Gemma Halliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-halliday/) > [Most of my writer friends are women, and they're all extremely talented, so of course I think the state of contemporary fiction for women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/most-of-my-writer-friends-are-women-and-they-re-all-extremely/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [Aimee Parkison offers a distinct new voice to contemporary fiction. Her seductive stories explore childhood as a realm of sorrows, and reveal the afflictions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/aimee-parkison-offers-a-distinct-new-voice-to-contemporary-fiction/) [Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/) > [I started reading contemporary fiction in college or right after college. It wasn't as if I was steeped in experimental minimalism when I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/i-started-reading-contemporary-fiction-in-college-or-right-after/) [Leni Zumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/) > [Not a lot of contemporary fiction is written about brothers and sisters. Salinger's Franny and Zooey was an inspiration for me. In Franny and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-m-soehnlein/not-a-lot-of-contemporary-fiction-is-written-about-brothers-and/) [K. M. Soehnlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-m-soehnlein/) > [Here is one of the fundamental defects of American fiction--perhaps the one character that sets it off sharply from all other known kinds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/here-is-one-of-the-fundamental-defects-of-american-fiction-perhaps/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Contemporary Christianity, diverse and complex as we find it, actually may show more unanimity than the Christian churches of the first and second centuries.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/contemporary-christianity-diverse-and-complex-as-we-find-it-actually/) [Elaine Pagels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-pagels/) > [The problem of meaning today is the problem of how the diverse and superficially self-contradictory experiences of men can be put into a consistent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carroll-quigley/the-problem-of-meaning-today-is-the-problem-of-how-the-diverse-and/) [Carroll Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carroll-quigley/) > [“When death becomes an escape, when it becomes attractive, the purpose of life is fulfilled. To teach one it's futility, it's worthlessness, that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faiqa-mansab/when-death-becomes-an-escape-when-it-becomes-attractive-the-purpose/) [Faiqa Mansab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faiqa-mansab/) > [“The dusty library air is electric with secrets/ almost palpable in the thick quiet that bounces between/ Cal and those books and me”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stasia-ward-kehoe/the-dusty-library-air-is-electric-with-secrets-almost-palpable-in-the/) [Stasia Ward Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stasia-ward-kehoe/) > [“Irrationality is part of everyday rationale”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/irrationality-is-part-of-everyday-rationale/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“How'd you know that would help, Grandma? Used to have a regular who had attacks like that all the time. Poor guy. He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-leblanc/how-d-you-know-that-would-help-grandma-used-to-have-a-regular-who-had/) [Jennifer LeBlanc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-leblanc/) > [“She might have been there for you in the aftermath, but I was there when everything came crashing down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-duke/she-might-have-been-there-for-you-in-the-aftermath-but-i-was-there/) [Megan Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-duke/) > [“A writer looks at an issue and asks, 'What if this were to occur? Or what if that was thrown into the mix? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venita-ellick/a-writer-looks-at-an-issue-and-asks-what-if-this-were-to-occur-or/) [Venita Ellick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venita-ellick/) > [“Ava glanced over at Napoleon, who was walking back toward them. She smirked at Juliet and said, "Sweetie, you are \*not\* the one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-fingers/ava-glanced-over-at-napoleon-who-was-walking-back-toward-them-she/) [Jay Fingers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-fingers/) ## More by Jessica Hagedorn > [We didn't have television until I was about eight years old, so it was either the movies or radio. A lot of radio drama.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hagedorn/we-didn-t-have-television-until-i-was-about-eight-years-old-so-it-was/) [Jessica Hagedorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hagedorn/) > [There were also horror shows on the radio. Very terrifying and thrilling to me as a kid. They had all these creepy sound effects.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hagedorn/there-were-also-horror-shows-on-the-radio-very-terrifying-and/) [Jessica Hagedorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hagedorn/) > [My identity is linked to my grandmother, who's pure Filipino, as pure as you can probably get. And that shaped my imagination. So that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hagedorn/my-identity-is-linked-to-my-grandmother-who-s-pure-filipino-as-pure/) [Jessica Hagedorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hagedorn/) > [Music is very influential to my writing, as are theater and film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hagedorn/music-is-very-influential-to-my-writing-as-are-theater-and-film/) [Jessica Hagedorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hagedorn/) > [The punk scene in NY was so gritty and nihilistic & I was like ooh I want to do that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hagedorn/the-punk-scene-in-ny-was-so-gritty-and-nihilistic-i-was-like-ooh-i/) [Jessica Hagedorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hagedorn/) > [I'm part Spanish. My paternal grandfather came from Spain via Singapore to Manila. On my mother's side it's more mixture, with a Filipino mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hagedorn/i-m-part-spanish-my-paternal-grandfather-came-from-spain-via/) [Jessica Hagedorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hagedorn/) > [I'm an underdog person, so I align myself with those who seem to be not considered valuable in polite society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hagedorn/i-m-an-underdog-person-so-i-align-myself-with-those-who-seem-to-be/) [Jessica Hagedorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hagedorn/) > [Writers and scholars have emerged in recent times (some familiar, some new) to continue to challenge the notion of a literature that encompasses the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hagedorn/writers-and-scholars-have-emerged-in-recent-times-some-familiar-some/) [Jessica Hagedorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hagedorn/) > [I love writing dialogue, and I think a lot of my writing is visual and very cinematic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hagedorn/i-love-writing-dialogue-and-i-think-a-lot-of-my-writing-is-visual-and/) [Jessica Hagedorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hagedorn/) > [I think for a lot of so-called post-colonial peoples, there's a feeling of not being quite legitimate, of not being pure enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hagedorn/i-think-for-a-lot-of-so-called-post-colonial-peoples-there-s-a/) [Jessica Hagedorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hagedorn/) > [It's not just NYU. There are days when I feel like I'm stranded in some upscale mall in Pasadena. Don't even get me started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hagedorn/it-s-not-just-nyu-there-are-days-when-i-feel-like-i-m-stranded-in/) [Jessica Hagedorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hagedorn/) > [“The Suffering Pilipino: We Pinoys suffer collectively from a cultural inferiority complex. We are doomed by our need for assimilation into the West and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hagedorn/the-suffering-pilipino-we-pinoys-suffer-collectively-from-a-cultural/) [Jessica Hagedorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hagedorn/) > [There is real beauty in my eyes when I lose my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hagedorn/there-is-real-beauty-in-my-eyes-when-i-lose-my-mind/) [Jessica Hagedorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hagedorn/) > [But I think there's a genuine joy, too, a sense that no matter what, even if my stomach's growling, I'm going to dance. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hagedorn/but-i-think-there-s-a-genuine-joy-too-a-sense-that-no-matter-what/) [Jessica Hagedorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hagedorn/) > [Becoming a mother has helped make me a tougher, stronger writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hagedorn/becoming-a-mother-has-helped-make-me-a-tougher-stronger-writer/) [Jessica Hagedorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hagedorn/) [Explore all 30 Jessica Hagedorn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hagedorn/) ## More Contemporary quotes > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) > [What really concerns me is for Christians to understand the fundamentals of evangelism in a way that is helpful in the contemporary scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/what-really-concerns-me-is-for-christians-to-understand-the/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [“And for God's sake, don't let her watch Cinderella. What kind of example is that? A mindless twit who can't even remember where she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/and-for-god-s-sake-don-t-let-her-watch-cinderella-what-kind-of/) [Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/) > [On the one hand, we had great filmic spectacles that brought in big audiences, adults as well as primary and secondary school students. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-wajda/on-the-one-hand-we-had-great-filmic-spectacles-that-brought-in-big/) [Andrzej Wajda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-wajda/) > [“No." I pulled away just enough to lock my eyes with his. His crooked smile sent shivers down my spine. His eyes were a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-witter/no-i-pulled-away-just-enough-to-lock-my-eyes-with-his-his-crooked/) [Stephanie Witter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-witter/) > [One of those blocks (that prevent the 'Middle East from entering the mainstream of modernity') is the orthodox tenet that the Koran and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-beichman/one-of-those-blocks-that-prevent-the-middle-east-from-entering-the/) [Arnold Beichman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-beichman/) > [The boundaries between contemporary art and cinema are so rigid. It's unbelievable. The film critics don't know my artwork and the art world doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/the-boundaries-between-contemporary-art-and-cinema-are-so-rigid-it-s/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [I'm educating myself more about world poetry. I know a lot about contemporary American poetry, so I felt I needed to learn more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-joseph/i-m-educating-myself-more-about-world-poetry-i-know-a-lot-about/) [Allison Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-joseph/) > [We have created indoor installations inside museums, like the Wrapped Floor at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago in 1968, and not monumental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christo/we-have-created-indoor-installations-inside-museums-like-the-wrapped/) [Christo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christo/) > [Going back to the noir fiction of the 30s, 40s and 50s. It's very contemporary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goldblum/going-back-to-the-noir-fiction-of-the-30s-40s-and-50s-it-s-very/) [Jeff Goldblum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goldblum/) > [Most of my contemporary grant-getters are now doing something other than painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/most-of-my-contemporary-grant-getters-are-now-doing-something-other/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [“The contemporary world has turned its back on the attempt and even on the desire to live reasonably.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/the-contemporary-world-has-turned-its-back-on-the-attempt-and-even-on/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [No, it's interesting to remake a film for the contemporary audience today. I think it's a good idea; it needs to respect the original…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-argento/no-it-s-interesting-to-remake-a-film-for-the-contemporary-audience/) [Dario Argento](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-argento/) [Browse all 1,586 Contemporary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't know what issues concerning identity have helped contemporary fiction evolve to what it is now. All I know is that the range of voices that are being heard and published is a lot more diverse than when I was coming up.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jessica Hagedorn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hagedorn/i-don-t-know-what-issues-concerning-identity-have-helped-contemporary/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Contemporary" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hagedorn/i-don-t-know-what-issues-concerning-identity-have-helped-contemporary/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/jessica-hagedorn-20937_contemporary_i-don-t-know-what-issues-concerning-iden_551744.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/jessica-hagedorn-20937_contemporary_i-don-t-know-what-issues-concerning-iden_551744.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/jessica-hagedorn-20937_contemporary_i-don-t-know-what-issues-concerning-iden_551744.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't know what issues concerning identity have helped contemporary fiction evolve to what it is now. All…” — Jessica Hagedorn", "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": "Jessica Hagedorn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hagedorn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't know what issues concerning...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hagedorn/i-don-t-know-what-issues-concerning-identity-have-helped-contemporary/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hagedorn/i-don-t-know-what-issues-concerning-identity-have-helped-contemporary/#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 } } ] } ```