--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What does the novel do? It tells…" description: "\"“What does the novel do? It tells beautiful, shapely lies which enclose hard, exact truths.”\" — Julian Barnes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/julian-barnes-522_books_what-does-the-novel-do-it-tells-beautifu_3023555.png" --- # What does the novel do? It tells beautiful, shapely lies… ![“What does the novel do? It tells beautiful, shapely lies which enclose hard, exact truths.” quote by Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/julian-barnes-522_books_what-does-the-novel-do-it-tells-beautifu_3023555.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/julian-barnes-522_books_what-does-the-novel-do-it-tells-beautifu_3023555.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/julian-barnes-522_books_what-does-the-novel-do-it-tells-beautifu_3023555.png) > ““What does the novel do? It tells beautiful, shapely lies which enclose hard, exact truths.”” [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Novels convey beautiful, crafted lies that hide precise, hard truths. **In simple terms:** Novels use beautiful lies to reveal exact truths. Key Takeaway Seek deeper truths in fiction. Themes literature truth deception beauty Mood reflective analytical Type literature philosophy When to use this quote - reading - creative writing - critical analysis Key Concepts narrative technique philosophical insight Questions to Reflect On - How do fictional lies shape perception? - What makes a lie “beautiful”? A Different Perspective Beautiful lies may obscure truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lies/) [Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Maybe everyone does have a novel in them, perhaps even a great one. I don't believe it, but for the purposes of this argument,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/maybe-everyone-does-have-a-novel-in-them-perhaps-even-a-great-one-i/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [All writing is an act of self-exploration. Even a grocery list says something about you; how much more does a novel say?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-saylor/all-writing-is-an-act-of-self-exploration-even-a-grocery-list-says/) [Steven Saylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-saylor/) > [“In one sense, at any rate, it is more valuable to read bad literature than good literature. Good literature may tell us the mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/in-one-sense-at-any-rate-it-is-more-valuable-to-read-bad-literature-2/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [A good novel tells us the truth about it's hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gkchesterton/a-good-novel-tells-us-the-truth-about-it-s-hero-but-a-bad-novel-tells/) GKChesterton > [What could be more boring than a novel that tells you how to think about everything that happens in it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/what-could-be-more-boring-than-a-novel-that-tells-you-how-to-think/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-good-novel-tells-us-the-truth-about-its-hero-but-a-bad-novel-tells/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As a kid, I dreamt of becoming a writer. My most exciting pastime was reading novels; in fact, I would read anything I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryam-mirzakhani/as-a-kid-i-dreamt-of-becoming-a-writer-my-most-exciting-pastime-was/) [Maryam Mirzakhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryam-mirzakhani/) > [As an undergraduate at Amherst College, I was devoted to Dickensian novels and antiestablishment journalism while marginally fulfilling premedical requirements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-e-varmus/as-an-undergraduate-at-amherst-college-i-was-devoted-to-dickensian/) [Harold E. Varmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-e-varmus/) > [“God has a way of picking a “nobody” and turning their world upside down, in order to create a “somebody” that will remove the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/god-has-a-way-of-picking-a-nobody-and-turning-their-world-upside-down/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I'm a geek - I read fantasy novels, I play 'World of Warcraft,' I'm a massive gamer, I have 'Star Trek' outfits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kazinsky/i-m-a-geek-i-read-fantasy-novels-i-play-world-of-warcraft-i-m-a/) [Robert Kazinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kazinsky/) > [I have often heard that the novel is dead. But I see novels produced, I don't know how many a week, in France. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathalie-sarraute/i-have-often-heard-that-the-novel-is-dead-but-i-see-novels-produced-i/) [Nathalie Sarraute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathalie-sarraute/) > [I think of novels as houses. You live in them over the course of a long period, both as a reader and as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/i-think-of-novels-as-houses-you-live-in-them-over-the-course-of-a/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [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/) > [“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/) ## More by Julian Barnes > [“You put together two things that have not been put together before. And the world is changed. People may not notice at the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/you-put-together-two-things-that-have-not-been-put-together-before/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“I settled into a contented routine of working, spending my free time with Veronica and, back in my student room, wanking explosively to fantasies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/i-settled-into-a-contented-routine-of-working-spending-my-free-time/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [The greatest patriotism is to tell your country when it is behaving dishonorably, foolishly, viciously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/the-greatest-patriotism-is-to-tell-your-country-when-it-is-behaving/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“There is only good vodka and very good vodka—there is no such thing as bad vodka.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/there-is-only-good-vodka-and-very-good-vodka-there-is-no-such-thing/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [Alice Munro can move characters through time in a way that no other writer can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/alice-munro-can-move-characters-through-time-in-a-way-that-no-other/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [How rarely do our emotions meet the object they seem to deserve? How hopelessly we signal; how dark the sky; how big the waves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/how-rarely-do-our-emotions-meet-the-object-they-seem-to-deserve-how/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [You put together two people who have not been put together before. Sometimes it is like that first attempt to harness a hydrogen balloon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/you-put-together-two-people-who-have-not-been-put-together-before/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“Also, when you are young, you think you can predict the likely pains and bleaknesses that age might bring. You imagine yourself being lonely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/also-when-you-are-young-you-think-you-can-predict-the-likely-pains/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“Why slum it where people were burdened by yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that? By history? Here, on the Island,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/why-slum-it-where-people-were-burdened-by-yesterday-and-the-day/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“In those years before mobile phones, email and Skype, travelers depended on the rudimentary communications system known as the postcard. Other methods--the long-distance phone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/in-those-years-before-mobile-phones-email-and-skype-travelers/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“My train was late, slowed by the usual Sunday engineering work. I got home in the early evening. I remember that I had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/my-train-was-late-slowed-by-the-usual-sunday-engineering-work-i-got/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [In life, every ending is just the start of another story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/in-life-every-ending-is-just-the-start-of-another-story/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“Indeed, isn’t the whole business of ascribing responsibility kind of a cop-out? We want to blame an individual so that everyone else is exculpated.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/indeed-isn-t-the-whole-business-of-ascribing-responsibility-kind-of-a/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [Some of the freckles I once loved are now closer to liver spots. But it’s still the eyes we look at, isn’t it? 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