Believe Quote by Rachel Kushner
“As to the "traditional filler of twenty-first century realist fiction," maybe that is something I avoid. I don't relate to standard psychologizing in novels. I don't really believe that the backstory is the story you need. And I don't believe it's more like life to get it - the buildup of "character" through psychological and family history, the whole idea of "knowing what the character wants." People in real life so often do not know what they want. People trick themselves, lie to themselves, fool themselves. It's called survival, and self-mythology.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The New Yorker, 2021
Traditional character backstory is unnecessary; real people often lack clear desires, creating self‑mythology for survival.
In simple terms: Backstory isn’t always needed; people often don’t know what they want.
Key Takeaway
Focus on present actions over past narratives.
Themes
fiction
character development
psychology
survival
Mood
analytical
introspective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- novel writing
- character analysis
- psychological realism
Key Concepts
self‑mythology
authenticity
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you convey character without explicit backstory?
- What does self‑mythology reveal about human coping?
A Different Perspective
Overemphasis on backstory can stall narrative momentum.
![“Avant-garde theatre, with its distrust of the individual (that bourgeois invention), tends to go beyond [character] and the psychological approach in search of a syntax of types and characters which are "deconstructed and post-individual.” quote by Patrice Pavis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c22/patrice-pavis-72351_approach_avant-garde-theatre-with-its-distrust-of_59690.jpg)
