--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It seems to me that the novel as a medium…" description: "\"It seems to me that the novel as a medium has a very low signal-to-noise ratio. By which I mean: there are a lot of novels published, but the vast majo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/lev-grossman-747_books_it-seems-to-me-that-the-novel-as-a-mediu_2048028.png" --- # It seems to me that the novel as a medium has a very low… ![“It seems to me that the novel as a medium has a very low signal-to-noise ratio. By which I mean: there are a lot of novels published, but the vast majority of them don't represent major contributions to the medium.” quote by Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/lev-grossman-747_books_it-seems-to-me-that-the-novel-as-a-mediu_2048028.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/lev-grossman-747_books_it-seems-to-me-that-the-novel-as-a-mediu_2048028.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/lev-grossman-747_books_it-seems-to-me-that-the-novel-as-a-mediu_2048028.png) > “It seems to me that the novel as a medium has a very low signal-to-noise ratio. By which I mean: there are a lot of novels published, but the vast majority of them don't represent major contributions to the medium.” [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Most published novels add little value, making the medium noisy and hard to discern quality. **In simple terms:** Many novels are low quality. Key Takeaway Seek works with depth and originality. Themes quality literature signal-to-noise Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - book clubs - publishing decisions - reading habits Key Concepts critical theory cultural analysis Questions to Reflect On - How do you find standout novels? - What criteria define a major contribution? A Different Perspective High standards may overlook hidden gems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Contributions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contributions/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels/) [Ratio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ratio/) ## Related quotes > [“The novel is a medium of profoundly serious investigation into the human case.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-madox-ford/the-novel-is-a-medium-of-profoundly-serious-investigation-into-the/) [Ford Madox Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-madox-ford/) > [I try to approach the film medium as a novelist and the novel medium as a filmmaker on some level. 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The authorities know about the novels of mine that have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/in-february-of-this-year-i-returned-to-china-to-research-my-next-book/) [Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) > [Actually my first eight books were historical novels, but they were never published](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-b-cooney/actually-my-first-eight-books-were-historical-novels-but-they-were/) [Caroline B. Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-b-cooney/) > [I've had three novels published, and I was working a little bit in theater in Ireland. I wrote one film script just to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-jordan/i-ve-had-three-novels-published-and-i-was-working-a-little-bit-in/) [Neil Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-jordan/) > [The readership of Victorian novels, when they were published, was much less diverse. People were probably white, and had enough money to be literate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/the-readership-of-victorian-novels-when-they-were-published-was-much/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [Having my novels published is a dream come true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulisa/having-my-novels-published-is-a-dream-come-true/) [Tulisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulisa/) > [More than 3,500 hardcover novels are published each year. Even the most avid reader buys fewer than one a week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-rose/more-than-3-500-hardcover-novels-are-published-each-year-even-the/) [M.J. Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-j-rose/) > [I follow an extremely strict diet counting my calorie intake, keeping in mind a very balanced ratio of proteins, carbs, and fats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rithvik-dhanjani/i-follow-an-extremely-strict-diet-counting-my-calorie-intake-keeping/) [Rithvik Dhanjani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rithvik-dhanjani/) ## More by Lev Grossman > [“It was about damn time something happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/it-was-about-damn-time-something-happened/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [We're wired to expect the world to be brighter and more meaningful and more obviously interesting than it actually is. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/i-used-to-write-in-a-local-coffee-shop-but-there-was-another-guy/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [I don't know if I've ever derived such an immediate sense of calm and well-being from any book as I did from 'Right Ho,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/i-don-t-know-if-i-ve-ever-derived-such-an-immediate-sense-of-calm-and/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) [Explore all 379 Lev Grossman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“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/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. 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