Aim Quote by Northrop Frye
“Beauty and truth may be attributes of good writing, but if the writer deliberately aims at truth, he is likely to find that what he has hit is the didactic.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Anatomy of Criticism, 1957
Writers seeking truth may end up producing didactic work, losing artistic subtlety.
In simple terms: Seeking truth can make writing overly instructional.
Balance truth with artistic nuance.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- creative writing workshops
- literary analysis
- teaching composition
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- When does truth become didactic?
- How to preserve subtlety while being truthful?
Overemphasis on truth may alienate readers.