--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A great number of elements in the…" description: "\"“A great number of elements in the characters’ lives, both psychic and factual, are not communicated to us. […] These characters, I believe, enjoy a mu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/pierre-bayard-29513_books_a-great-number-of-elements-in-the-charac_1030375.jpg" --- # A great number of elements in the characters’ lives, both… ![“A great number of elements in the characters’ lives, both psychic and factual, are not communicated to us. […] These characters, I believe, enjoy a much greater autonomy than we usually think, and are able to take initiatives unknown both to the writer and the reader. When characters have their…” quote by Pierre Bayard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/pierre-bayard-29513_books_a-great-number-of-elements-in-the-charac_1030375.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/pierre-bayard-29513_books_a-great-number-of-elements-in-the-charac_1030375.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/pierre-bayard-29513_books_a-great-number-of-elements-in-the-charac_1030375.jpg) > ““A great number of elements in the characters’ lives, both psychic and factual, are not communicated to us. \[…\] These characters, I believe, enjoy a much greater autonomy than we usually think, and are able to take initiatives unknown both to the writer and the reader. When characters have their own will, their own autonomy, it gives the literary universe a greater internal mobility; it also makes the texts through which we view this world all the more open and incomplete.”” [Pierre Bayard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Characters possess independent agency, creating a literary world that feels alive and beyond the author's control. **In simple terms:** Characters act on their own, making stories dynamic. Key Takeaway Allow stories to surprise you with unexpected character choices. Themes autonomy fiction creativity Mood analytical curious Type theoretical inspirational When to use this quote - reading novels - writing fiction - literary analysis Key Concepts literary theory character agency Questions to Reflect On - How do you interpret a character's unexpected actions? - Can a character truly be independent of its creator? A Different Perspective Authorial intent may still shape characters subtly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autonomy Usually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autonomy-usually-2350159/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters/) [Characters Autonomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters-autonomy-2187431/) [Characters Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters-believe-466813/) [Characters Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters-lives-609549/) [Communicated Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communicated-characters-2350158/) [Interpretation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interpretation/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [In a novel there's not much autobiography. There are characters in transit. Naturally, I can project something of my experiences onto the characters, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/in-a-novel-there-s-not-much-autobiography-there-are-characters-in/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [I'm obviously interested in playing characters who have autonomy, who drive the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-bishe/i-m-obviously-interested-in-playing-characters-who-have-autonomy-who/) [Kerry Bishe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-bishe/) > [People say that they like the characters that they believe that I am. But, I don't as much. I like the characters that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-scott/people-say-that-they-like-the-characters-that-they-believe-that-i-am/) [Jill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-scott/) > [I try not to articulate ideas in the film once I've arrived on the plot and the characters. I believe that if I focus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-sachs/i-try-not-to-articulate-ideas-in-the-film-once-i-ve-arrived-on-the/) [Ira Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-sachs/) > [Everything we do is about the emotion of the characters. We believe the better the emotion, the better the movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-winding-refn/everything-we-do-is-about-the-emotion-of-the-characters-we-believe/) [Nicolas Winding Refn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-winding-refn/) > [“I wanted characters I could believe in, and I wanted to be made curious about what was to happen to them. Generally, I preferred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-wanted-characters-i-could-believe-in-and-i-wanted-to-be-made/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I find that you're drawn to certain stories, and there's something about fairytales that have deep roots. They connect really deeply to you, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-keane/i-find-that-you-re-drawn-to-certain-stories-and-there-s-something/) [Glen Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-keane/) > [I do characters. I believe in that. I think people are interesting. Now, everybody that you meet in New York City thinks that their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-weintraub/i-do-characters-i-believe-in-that-i-think-people-are-interesting-now/) [Jerry Weintraub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-weintraub/) > [Understand, my own politics aren't necessarily interchangeable with what any of my characters believe. You could take each of the characters in On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-vance/understand-my-own-politics-aren-t-necessarily-interchangeable-with/) [James Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-vance/) > [“It is said that there is a part of us in our characters. But I also believe there is a part of our characters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-wakely/it-is-said-that-there-is-a-part-of-us-in-our-characters-but-i-also/) [Lisa Wakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-wakely/) > [“Because when I can believe in a villain, I can fear them. My pulse races, I worry about the heroes, I read through my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saundra-mitchell/because-when-i-can-believe-in-a-villain-i-can-fear-them-my-pulse/) [Saundra Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saundra-mitchell/) > [I'm never going to tell the reader what to believe; I'm going to examine these characters that believe different ways, and examine their motives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-m-never-going-to-tell-the-reader-what-to-believe-i-m-going-to/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [I leapt eagerly into books. The characters’ lives were so much more interesting than the lonely heartbeat of my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruta-sepetys/i-leapt-eagerly-into-books-the-characters-lives-were-so-much-more/) [Ruta Sepetys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruta-sepetys/) > [I think of the biopics I've written as exploring a more grown-up side of myself, through other characters' lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-lance-black/i-think-of-the-biopics-i-ve-written-as-exploring-a-more-grown-up-side/) [Dustin Lance Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-lance-black/) > [Gettting to know your characters is so much more important than plotting. Working out every detail of your story in advance, especially when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/gettting-to-know-your-characters-is-so-much-more-important-than/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) ## More by Pierre Bayard > [ “\[…\] there exists around the written world opened by the work a multitude of other possible worlds, which we can complete by means of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayard/there-exists-around-the-written-world-opened-by-the-work-a-multitude/) [Pierre Bayard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayard/) > [“The paradox of reading is that the path toward ourselves passes through books, but that this must remain a passage. It is a traversal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayard/the-paradox-of-reading-is-that-the-path-toward-ourselves-passes/) [Pierre Bayard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayard/) > [ “\[…\] a given text may seem fictional or actual depending on the context in which we encounter it. The same is true for oral… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayard/a-given-text-may-seem-fictional-or-actual-depending-on-the-context-in/) [Pierre Bayard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayard/) > [“As may be seen, there is only one sensible piece of advice to give to those who find themselves having to talk to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayard/as-may-be-seen-there-is-only-one-sensible-piece-of-advice-to-give-to/) [Pierre Bayard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayard/) > [“(in which, along with Montaigne, we raise the question of whether a book you have read and completely forgotten, and which you have even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayard/in-which-along-with-montaigne-we-raise-the-question-of-whether-a-book/) [Pierre Bayard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayard/) > [“Criticism demands infinitely more culture than artistic creation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayard/criticism-demands-infinitely-more-culture-than-artistic-creation/) [Pierre Bayard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayard/) > [“Reading is first and foremost non-reading. Even in the case of the most passionate lifelong readers, the act of picking up and opening a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayard/reading-is-first-and-foremost-non-reading-even-in-the-case-of-the/) [Pierre Bayard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayard/) > [“Our relation to books is a shadowy space haunted by the ghosts of memory, and the real value of books lies in their ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayard/our-relation-to-books-is-a-shadowy-space-haunted-by-the-ghosts-of/) [Pierre Bayard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayard/) > [“Fictional characters exert a great deal of influence over our choices in love by representing inaccessible ideals to which we try to make others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayard/fictional-characters-exert-a-great-deal-of-influence-over-our-choices/) [Pierre Bayard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayard/) > [“To speak without shame about books we haven’t read, we would thus do well to free ourselves of the oppressive image of cultural literacy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayard/to-speak-without-shame-about-books-we-haven-t-read-we-would-thus-do/) [Pierre Bayard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayard/) > [“The title of the work, its place in the collective library, the nature of the person who tells us about it, the atmosphere established…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayard/the-title-of-the-work-its-place-in-the-collective-library-the-nature/) [Pierre Bayard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayard/) > [“Our relationship with literary characters, at least to those that exercise a certain attraction over us, rests in fact on a denial. We know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayard/our-relationship-with-literary-characters-at-least-to-those-that/) [Pierre Bayard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayard/) > [“It is the reader who comes to complete the work and to close, albeit temporarily, the world that it opens, and the reader does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayard/it-is-the-reader-who-comes-to-complete-the-work-and-to-close-albeit/) [Pierre Bayard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayard/) > [“if you want to be able to talk about a place, the best thing to do is stay at home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayard/if-you-want-to-be-able-to-talk-about-a-place-the-best-thing-to-do-is/) [Pierre Bayard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayard/) > [“When we talk about books…we are talking about our approximate recollections of books… What we preserve of the books we read—whether we take notes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayard/when-we-talk-about-books-we-are-talking-about-our-approximate/) [Pierre Bayard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayard/) [Explore all 17 Pierre Bayard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayard/) ## 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. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [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/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A great number of elements in the characters’ lives, both psychic and factual, are not communicated to us. […] These characters, I believe, enjoy a much greater autonomy than we usually think, and are able to take initiatives unknown both to the writer and the reader. When characters have their own will, their own autonomy, it gives the literary universe a greater internal mobility; it also makes the texts through which we view this world all the more open and incomplete.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pierre Bayard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayard/a-great-number-of-elements-in-the-characters-lives-both-psychic-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayard/a-great-number-of-elements-in-the-characters-lives-both-psychic-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/pierre-bayard-29513_books_a-great-number-of-elements-in-the-charac_1030375.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/pierre-bayard-29513_books_a-great-number-of-elements-in-the-charac_1030375.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/pierre-bayard-29513_books_a-great-number-of-elements-in-the-charac_1030375.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A great number of elements in the characters’ lives, both psychic and factual, are not communicated to us…” — Pierre Bayard", "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": "Pierre Bayard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A great number of elements in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayard/a-great-number-of-elements-in-the-characters-lives-both-psychic-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayard/a-great-number-of-elements-in-the-characters-lives-both-psychic-and/#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 } } ] } ```