--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wrote a novel called 'Blonde,' which is…" description: "\"I wrote a novel called 'Blonde,' which is about Norma Jean Baker, who becomes Marilyn Monroe, which I called a fictitious biography. That uses the mate..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/joyce-carol-oates-344_bakers_i-wrote-a-novel-called-blonde-which-is-a_2092956.jpg" --- # I wrote a novel called 'Blonde,' which is about Norma Jean… ![“I wrote a novel called 'Blonde,' which is about Norma Jean Baker, who becomes Marilyn Monroe, which I called a fictitious biography. That uses the material as if it were myth - that Marilyn Monroe is like this mythical figure in our culture.” quote by Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/joyce-carol-oates-344_bakers_i-wrote-a-novel-called-blonde-which-is-a_2092956.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/joyce-carol-oates-344_bakers_i-wrote-a-novel-called-blonde-which-is-a_2092956.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/joyce-carol-oates-344_bakers_i-wrote-a-novel-called-blonde-which-is-a_2092956.jpg) > “I wrote a novel called 'Blonde,' which is about Norma Jean Baker, who becomes Marilyn Monroe, which I called a fictitious biography. That uses the material as if it were myth - that Marilyn Monroe is like this mythical figure in our culture.” [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) ## 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 frames a real celebrity’s life as modern myth, showing how culture mythologizes public figures. **In simple terms:** Celebrities become modern myths. Key Takeaway Explore how myths shape cultural perception. Themes mythmaking celebrity culture identity fiction biography Mood analytical critical Type literary cultural When to use this quote - media criticism - creative writing classes - pop culture studies - documentary filmmaking Key Concepts cultural studies mythology media studies Questions to Reflect On - How does myth alter our view of truth? - What responsibilities do writers have when fictionalizing real lives? A Different Perspective Mythologizing can oversimplify complex individuals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bakers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bakers/) [Becomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/becomes/) [Biographies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies/) [Blonde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blonde/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Called Blonde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-blonde-4145633/) [Called Fictitious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-fictitious-4145632/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Fictitious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fictitious/) [Fictitious Biography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fictitious-biography-4145631/) [Figure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figure/) [Figures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figures/) [Materials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materials/) [Myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth/) [Myth Marilyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth-marilyn-4145630/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) ## Related quotes > [“If others think I am nuts, naive, gullible, and not living in the real world, that's all right, too... I'll gladly stay in what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-foley/if-others-think-i-am-nuts-naive-gullible-and-not-living-in-the-real/) [Ward Foley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-foley/) > [Writing allows for fictitious voices - the voices of persons unlike myself - that might otherwise be muted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/writing-allows-for-fictitious-voices-the-voices-of-persons-unlike/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I play fictitious characters often solving fictitious problems. I believe mankind has looked at climate change in the same way, as if it were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/i-play-fictitious-characters-often-solving-fictitious-problems-i/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [“The characters and events in this book are fictitious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-abraham/the-characters-and-events-in-this-book-are-fictitious/) [Daniel Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-abraham/) > [“The real acts of a real devil you know have been made acceptable by the fictitious actions of a nonexistent devil that you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-klepper/the-real-acts-of-a-real-devil-you-know-have-been-made-acceptable-by/) [Mike Klepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-klepper/) > [“The fictitious men in romance novels are as fake and imaginary as vampires. They're not real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/the-fictitious-men-in-romance-novels-are-as-fake-and-imaginary-as/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [False judgement will only lead to a fictitious outcome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mercado/false-judgement-will-only-lead-to-a-fictitious-outcome/) [Joseph Mercado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mercado/) > [The characters and events depicted in the damn bible are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-characters-and-events-depicted-in-the-damn-bible-are-fictitious/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Not even I know if this I that I’m disclosing to you, in these meandering pages, actually exists or is but a fictitious, aesthetic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/not-even-i-know-if-this-i-that-i-m-disclosing-to-you-in-these/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Politeness is fictitious benevolence. Depend upon it, the want of it never fails to produce something disagreeable to one or other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/politeness-is-fictitious-benevolence-depend-upon-it-the-want-of-it/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The transition state of manners and language cannot be too often insisted upon: for this affected the process at both ends, giving the artist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saintsbury/the-transition-state-of-manners-and-language-cannot-be-too-often/) [George Saintsbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saintsbury/) > [The state is the great fictitious entity by which everyone seeks to live at the expense of everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-state-is-the-great-fictitious-entity-by-which-everyone-seeks-to/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [We live in a time when fictitious election results elect a fictitious president. We live in a time where we have a man sending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/we-live-in-a-time-when-fictitious-election-results-elect-a-fictitious/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [My fictitious characters will take the bit between their teeth and gallop off and do something that I hadn't counted on. However, I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/my-fictitious-characters-will-take-the-bit-between-their-teeth-and/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [So the poet, who wants to be something that he cannot be, and is a failure in plain life, makes up fictitious versions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-tate/so-the-poet-who-wants-to-be-something-that-he-cannot-be-and-is-a/) [Allen Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-tate/) ## More by Joyce Carol Oates > [“A woman who has lost her husband is invalid, thus an invalid. In”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/a-woman-who-has-lost-her-husband-is-invalid-thus-an-invalid-in/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Running! If there's any activity happier, more exhilarating, more nourishing to the imagination, I can't think of what it might be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/running-if-there-s-any-activity-happier-more-exhilarating-more/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [You need so much energy and encouragement to write that if someone says something negative, some of that energy goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/you-need-so-much-energy-and-encouragement-to-write-that-if-someone/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I learned long ago that being Lewis Carroll was infinitely more exciting than being Alice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-learned-long-ago-that-being-lewis-carroll-was-infinitely-more/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Paradox: how do we know what we have failed to see because we have no language to express it, thus we cannot know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/paradox-how-do-we-know-what-we-have-failed-to-see-because-we-have-no/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [At all crucial moments in our lives we want to speak without knowing what to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/at-all-crucial-moments-in-our-lives-we-want-to-speak-without-knowing/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [A writer’s life is in his work, and that is the place to find him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/a-writer-s-life-is-in-his-work-and-that-is-the-place-to-find-him/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [The challenge is to resist circumstances. Any idiot can be happy in a happy place, but moral courage is required to be happy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-challenge-is-to-resist-circumstances-any-idiot-can-be-happy-in-a/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [The first sentence cant be written until the final sentence is written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-first-sentence-cant-be-written-until-the-final-sentence-is-written/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [“Did you know, Marianne: how by breaking the code that day, you broke it forever? For us all?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/did-you-know-marianne-how-by-breaking-the-code-that-day-you-broke-it/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > ['The Accursed' is very much a novel about social injustice as the consequence of the terrible, tragic division of classes - the exploitation not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-accursed-is-very-much-a-novel-about-social-injustice-as-the/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Keep a light, hopeful heart. But expect the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/keep-a-light-hopeful-heart-but-expect-the-worst/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [And this is the forbidden truth, the unspeakable taboo - that evil is not always repellent but frequently attractive; that it has the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/and-this-is-the-forbidden-truth-the-unspeakable-taboo-that-evil-is/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I don't think that writer's block exists really. I think that when you're trying to do something prematurely, it just won't come. Certain subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-don-t-think-that-writer-s-block-exists-really-i-think-that-when-you/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [... such speculation is like staring into the hot white sun. you know the sun is there but you can't see a thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/such-speculation-is-like-staring-into-the-hot-white-sun-you-know-the/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) [Explore all 658 Joyce Carol Oates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) ## More Bakers quotes > [“Socrates: Have you noticed on our journey how often the citizens of this new land remind each other it is a free country? Plato:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/socrates-have-you-noticed-on-our-journey-how-often-the-citizens-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't have a very good relationship with baking. I do bake sometimes, but my natural instinct is to just do what feels right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thu-tran/i-don-t-have-a-very-good-relationship-with-baking-i-do-bake-sometimes/) [Thu Tran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thu-tran/) > [I learned to read from Mrs. Augusta Baker, the children's librarian. ... If that was the only good deed that lady ever did in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/i-learned-to-read-from-mrs-augusta-baker-the-children-s-librarian-if/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [I have a treasure trove of Baker memories, all of which reinforce my sense of Howard Baker as one of the most decent people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yarmuth/i-have-a-treasure-trove-of-baker-memories-all-of-which-reinforce-my/) [John Yarmuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yarmuth/) > [I was always a person on my mother's hip in the kitchen. My mom really wanted her kids at her side as much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-ray/i-was-always-a-person-on-my-mother-s-hip-in-the-kitchen-my-mom-really/) [Rachael Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-ray/) > [I invite all brats to throw their cookies at the baker's head if they're not sweet, winos to chuck their wine if it's bad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/i-invite-all-brats-to-throw-their-cookies-at-the-baker-s-head-if-they/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Bakers of bread rolls and pastry cooks will not buy grain before eleven o'clock in winter and noon in summer; bakers of large loaves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cardinal-richelieu/bakers-of-bread-rolls-and-pastry-cooks-will-not-buy-grain-before/) [Cardinal Richelieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cardinal-richelieu/) > [Kyle Baker's work is really funny, but it's also got a very clear vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-sienkiewicz/kyle-baker-s-work-is-really-funny-but-it-s-also-got-a-very-clear/) [Bill Sienkiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-sienkiewicz/) > [Well, the movie isn't bad. For a while, I even told myself I liked it, even as it missed one mark after another. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-edelstein/well-the-movie-isn-t-bad-for-a-while-i-even-told-myself-i-liked-it/) [David Edelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-edelstein/) > [In those days Mr. Sherlock Holmes was still living in Baker Street and the Bastables were looking for treasure in the Lewisham Road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-those-days-mr-sherlock-holmes-was-still-living-in-baker-street-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me writing about tennis is like a baker baking bread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ion-tiriac/me-writing-about-tennis-is-like-a-baker-baking-bread/) [Ion Tiriac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ion-tiriac/) > [When I was little I always wanted to drive a train. That, and become a baker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/when-i-was-little-i-always-wanted-to-drive-a-train-that-and-become-a/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [I played with a left hamstring injury since playing college football at Washington University. I went to doctors all over the country to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-dillon/i-played-with-a-left-hamstring-injury-since-playing-college-football/) [Corey Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-dillon/) > [When George W. Bush decided to save the American position in Iraq by going against the advice of all of his wise men, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/when-george-w-bush-decided-to-save-the-american-position-in-iraq-by/) [Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/) > [...Holmes, who loathed every form of society with his whole Bohemian soul, remained in our lodgings in Baker Street, buried among his old books,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/holmes-who-loathed-every-form-of-society-with-his-whole-bohemian-soul/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) [Browse all 154 Bakers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bakers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I wrote a novel called 'Blonde,' which is about Norma Jean Baker, who becomes Marilyn Monroe, which I called a fictitious biography. 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