Books Quote by Karen Swallow Prior

“The object of all good literature is to purge the soul of its petty troubles.”

— P.G. Wodehouse

“A great novel heightens your senses and sensitivity to the complexities of life and of individuals, and prevents you from the self-righteousness that sees…

— Azar Nafisi

“Literature deals with morality but does not necessarily, does not, qua literature, help you to be more moral, either by precept or example. It…

— Eric Bentley

“Literature is communication. Communication requires loyalty. A rigorous morality results from complicity in the knowledge of Evil, which is the basis of intense communication.”

— Georges Bataille

“Literature takes us away from our grey everyday experience, but brings us back enriched with new sensibilities.”

— Willie van Peer

With certain rapturous exceptions, literature is the moral life.

— Cynthia Ozick

“These studies are the result of my attempt to extract the essence of literature. Literature is either the essential or nothing. I believe that…

— Georges Bataille

“Morality does not come from a book, it comes from the human mind.”

— Abhijit Naskar

“Literature has been our salvation, literature has inspired and guided lovers, routed despair and can perhaps in this case save the world.”

— John Cheever

We do literature a real disservice if we reduce it to knowledge or to use, to a problem to be solved. If literature solves…

— Marjorie Garber

“Literature matters because it is how humanity, with all its losses and joys, can become a work of art.”

— Lisa C. Taylor

“A great book feeds our soul and nourishes our spirit in a way nothing else can.”

— C. S. Lakin