Communication Quote by John Rutherford
““It's wrong to take even those occasional long sentences in the Quixote with loose structures, and subdivide, tighten and correct them because they are not instances of stylistic carelessness but examples of Cervantes's masterly creation of realistic dialogue: His amused observation of the deleterious effects of natural verbosity, or of passionate interest in the subject under discussion, on the speaker's grammar.””
About This Quote
Cervantes intentionally used long, meandering dialogue to portray realistic speech, not to be careless; editing would erase its purpose.
In simple terms: Long sentences show natural speech, not errors.
Key Takeaway
Preserve authentic voice in editing.
Themes
literature
style
authenticity
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
critical
educational
When to use this quote
- editing
- creative writing
- literary analysis
- teaching writing
Key Concepts
narrative technique
dialogue realism
authorial intent
Questions to Reflect On
- How does dialogue shape character?
- When should editors intervene?
A Different Perspective
Over‑editing can strip character depth.
![“If Wells recognized any merit in [Henry] James, it was his undeniable talent for using very long sentences in order to say nothing at all. p. 516” quote by Félix J. Palma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cc1/f-lix-j-palma-11226_long_if-wells-recognized-any-merit-in-henry-j_1960095.jpg)
