--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the final exam in the Chaucer course…" description: "\"In the final exam in the Chaucer course we were asked why he used certain verbal devices, certain adjectives, why he had certain characters behave in c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c6/madeleine-l-engle-345_adjectives_in-the-final-exam-in-the-chaucer-course_1635376.png" --- # In the final exam in the Chaucer course we were asked why… ![“In the final exam in the Chaucer course we were asked why he used certain verbal devices, certain adjectives, why he had certain characters behave in certain ways. And I wrote, 'I don't think Chaucer had any idea why he did any of these things. That isn't the way people write.' I believe this as…” quote by Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c6/madeleine-l-engle-345_adjectives_in-the-final-exam-in-the-chaucer-course_1635376.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c6/madeleine-l-engle-345_adjectives_in-the-final-exam-in-the-chaucer-course_1635376.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c6/madeleine-l-engle-345_adjectives_in-the-final-exam-in-the-chaucer-course_1635376.png) > “In the final exam in the Chaucer course we were asked why he used certain verbal devices, certain adjectives, why he had certain characters behave in certain ways. And I wrote, 'I don't think Chaucer had any idea why he did any of these things. That isn't the way people write.' I believe this as strongly now as I did then. Most of what is best in writing isn't done deliberately.” [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) ## 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 observes that many effective literary techniques arise instinctively rather than from conscious planning, highlighting the subconscious nature of creative writing. **In simple terms:** Good writing often happens unconsciously. Key Takeaway Trust your intuition when writing. Themes creativity writing process intuition literary analysis Mood thoughtful inquisitive analytical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - draft revisions - creative brainstorming - literature courses Key Concepts subconscious creativity authorial intent organic development Questions to Reflect On - Do you rely on instinct or planning? - How does subconscious skill develop? A Different Perspective Not all writers agree; some meticulously plan. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Exam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exam/) [Final Exam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/final-exam/) [Final exams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/final-exams/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [One of the leading causes of divorce is sexual incompatibility. Why not mandate premarital sex, overseen, of course, by the Marriage Board to ensure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rosen/one-of-the-leading-causes-of-divorce-is-sexual-incompatibility-why/) Mike Rosen > [Looking back I find it hard to believe that I could forge a career in anything other than football but I didn't do too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-cunningham/looking-back-i-find-it-hard-to-believe-that-i-could-forge-a-career-in/) [Kenny Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-cunningham/) > [“Why is it that there was always a unit on history, math, science and god knows what other useless, totally forgettable information you taught…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/why-is-it-that-there-was-always-a-unit-on-history-math-science-and/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [Every chess game is like taking a five-hour final exam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-fischer/every-chess-game-is-like-taking-a-five-hour-final-exam/) [Bobby Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-fischer/) > [A great way to relieve the stress of final exams is by cheating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-great-way-to-relieve-the-stress-of-final-exams-is-by-cheating/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [So, in life we have a one question final exam - and it's not the kind of exam you can cram for at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marci-shimoff/so-in-life-we-have-a-one-question-final-exam-and-it-s-not-the-kind-of/) [Marci Shimoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marci-shimoff/) > [Good luck on the final exams you're complaining about on Facebook instead of studying for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/good-luck-on-the-final-exams-you-re-complaining-about-on-facebook/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If I taught a class, on my final exam I would take an Internet company and ask, 'How much is this company worth?' Anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/if-i-taught-a-class-on-my-final-exam-i-would-take-an-internet-company/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Taking final exams? Good luck. I believe in you. But I also believe that snakes are sperm on the egg that is Earth, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/taking-final-exams-good-luck-i-believe-in-you-but-i-also-believe-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There was one moment, and it happened in school. I had a big final exam - we were supposed to write a 20-page report…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/there-was-one-moment-and-it-happened-in-school-i-had-a-big-final-exam/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [I chucked my CA final exams to pursue modeling. My parents objected to this, but they soon came around. And after seeing my maiden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanshu-chatterjee/i-chucked-my-ca-final-exams-to-pursue-modeling-my-parents-objected-to/) [Priyanshu Chatterjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyanshu-chatterjee/) > [“Kate is my roommate, and she has chosen today of all days to succumb to the flu. Therefore, she cannot attend the interview she’d…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james/kate-is-my-roommate-and-she-has-chosen-today-of-all-days-to-succumb/) [E.L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james/) > [ Student: Dr. Einstein, Aren't these the same questions as last year's \[physics\] final exam? Dr. Einstein: Yes; But this year the answers are different. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/student-dr-einstein-aren-t-these-the-same-questions-as-last-year-s/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [My nana ji has a shop in Bapu Bazaar. Every summer, after my final exams, my mother would pack me off to my grandparents'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmin-bhasin/my-nana-ji-has-a-shop-in-bapu-bazaar-every-summer-after-my-final/) [Jasmin Bhasin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmin-bhasin/) > [Lots of my dying patients say they grow in bounds and leaps, and finish all the unfinished business. But assisting a suicide is cheating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/lots-of-my-dying-patients-say-they-grow-in-bounds-and-leaps-and/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) ## More by Madeleine L'Engle > [“One of the hardest lessons I have to learn is how not to be judgmental about people who are judgmental. When I see how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/one-of-the-hardest-lessons-i-have-to-learn-is-how-not-to-be/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Inspiration more often comes during the work than before it, because the largest part of the job of an artist is to listen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/inspiration-more-often-comes-during-the-work-than-before-it-because/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/you-have-to-write-the-book-that-wants-to-be-written-and-if-the-book/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Severe illness isolates those in close contact with it, because it inevitably narrows the focus of concern. To a certain extent this can lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/severe-illness-isolates-those-in-close-contact-with-it-because-it/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Goodness has never been a guarantee of safety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/goodness-has-never-been-a-guarantee-of-safety/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“Faith is what makes life bearable, with all its tragedies and ambiguities and sudden, startling joys.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/faith-is-what-makes-life-bearable-with-all-its-tragedies-and/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“Instead of rejoicing in this glorious “impossible” which gives meaning and dignity to our lives, we try to domesticate God, to make his mighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/instead-of-rejoicing-in-this-glorious-impossible-which-gives-meaning/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [I have never lived before...Until this summer, I did not know what it was to be alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-have-never-lived-before-until-this-summer-i-did-not-know-what-it/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [On the other side of pain, there is still love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/on-the-other-side-of-pain-there-is-still-love/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“To love is to be vulnerable; and it is only in vulnerability and risk—not safety and security—that we overcome darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/to-love-is-to-be-vulnerable-and-it-is-only-in-vulnerability-and-risk/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“IT was the most horrible, the most repellent thing she had ever seen, far more nauseating then anything she had ever imagined with her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/it-was-the-most-horrible-the-most-repellent-thing-she-had-ever-seen/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [I feel as though I'm not breathing when I'm out of his presence. He's the oxygen in my air, the sun in my universe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-feel-as-though-i-m-not-breathing-when-i-m-out-of-his-presence-he-s/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Rather than feeling lost and unimportant and meaningless, set against galaxies which go beyond the reach of the furthest telescopes, I feel that my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/rather-than-feeling-lost-and-unimportant-and-meaningless-set-against/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [My husband is my most ruthless critic... sometimes he will say, 'It's been said better before.' Of course it has. It's all been said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/my-husband-is-my-most-ruthless-critic-sometimes-he-will-say-it-s-been/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [If we aren't capable of being hurt we aren't capable of feeling joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/if-we-aren-t-capable-of-being-hurt-we-aren-t-capable-of-feeling-joy/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) [Explore all 660 Madeleine L'Engle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) ## More Adjectives quotes > [To write or even speak English is not a science but an art. There are no reliable words… Whoever writes English is involved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/to-write-or-even-speak-english-is-not-a-science-but-an-art-there-are/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Avoid the ecstatic adjectives that occupy such disproportionate space in every critic's quiver - words like "enthralling" and "luminous."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/avoid-the-ecstatic-adjectives-that-occupy-such-disproportionate-space/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [In the history of the concept of number has been adjective (three cows, three monads) and noun (three, pure and simple), and now ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mazur/in-the-history-of-the-concept-of-number-has-been-adjective-three-cows/) [Barry Mazur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mazur/) > [In my opinion, using different kinds of epithets and adjectives in connection with the word democracy is a sign of mere hypocrisy, to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/in-my-opinion-using-different-kinds-of-epithets-and-adjectives-in/) [Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/) > [But what is memory if not the language of feeling, a dictionary of faces and days and smells which repeat themselves like the verbs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-cort-zar/but-what-is-memory-if-not-the-language-of-feeling-a-dictionary-of/) [Julio Cortazar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-cort-zar/) > [Eschew all those beastly adjectives...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/eschew-all-those-beastly-adjectives/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [I will give you my definition of a nation, and you can add the adjective 'Jewish.' A Nation is, in my mind, an historical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/i-will-give-you-my-definition-of-a-nation-and-you-can-add-the/) [Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/) > [The mind that thought of light, heavy, grey, yellow, still, swift, also conceived of magic that would make heavy things light and able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/the-mind-that-thought-of-light-heavy-grey-yellow-still-swift-also/) [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/) > [Whatever you want to say, there is only one word to express it, only one verb to give it movement, only one adjective to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/whatever-you-want-to-say-there-is-only-one-word-to-express-it-only/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English―it is the modern way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-notice-that-you-use-plain-simple-language-short-words-and-brief/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Purity of action guided Janis's behavior. If she was going to be good, she was very, very good. If she was going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-joplin/purity-of-action-guided-janis-s-behavior-if-she-was-going-to-be-good/) [Laura Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-joplin/) > [I have been called 'Bongshell' the day I stepped into showbiz. So, any adjective coming my way, I take it positively. Sometimes it's also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bipasha-basu/i-have-been-called-bongshell-the-day-i-stepped-into-showbiz-so-any/) [Bipasha Basu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bipasha-basu/) > [I like that 'Mad Men' is now an adjective I use to describe clothing when I'm shopping: 'I like this top. It's very 'Mad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-brie/i-like-that-mad-men-is-now-an-adjective-i-use-to-describe-clothing/) [Alison Brie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-brie/) > [anything being perceived as being superior takes the noun. And everything that isn't, that's judged to be inferior, requires an adjective. So there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/anything-being-perceived-as-being-superior-takes-the-noun-and/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [The only sort of descriptive adjective or catch phrase for my music would be 'eclectic.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/the-only-sort-of-descriptive-adjective-or-catch-phrase-for-my-music/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) Browse all 239 Adjectives quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In the final exam in the Chaucer course we were asked why he used certain verbal devices, certain adjectives, why he had certain characters behave in certain ways. And I wrote, 'I don't think Chaucer had any idea why he did any of these things. That isn't the way people write.' I believe this as strongly now as I did then. Most of what is best in writing isn't done deliberately.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Madeleine L'Engle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/in-the-final-exam-in-the-chaucer-course-we-were-asked-why-he-used/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adjectives" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/in-the-final-exam-in-the-chaucer-course-we-were-asked-why-he-used/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c6/madeleine-l-engle-345_adjectives_in-the-final-exam-in-the-chaucer-course_1635376.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c6/madeleine-l-engle-345_adjectives_in-the-final-exam-in-the-chaucer-course_1635376.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c6/madeleine-l-engle-345_adjectives_in-the-final-exam-in-the-chaucer-course_1635376.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In the final exam in the Chaucer course we were asked why he used certain verbal devices, certain…” — Madeleine L'Engle", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Madeleine L'Engle", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In the final exam in the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/in-the-final-exam-in-the-chaucer-course-we-were-asked-why-he-used/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/in-the-final-exam-in-the-chaucer-course-we-were-asked-why-he-used/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```