--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fiction has consisted either of placing…" description: "\"Fiction has consisted either of placing imaginary characters in a true story, which is the Iliad, or of presenting the story of an individual as having..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da7/raymond-queneau-12265_fiction_fiction-has-consisted-either-of-placing_2849641.jpg" --- # Fiction has consisted either of placing imaginary… ![“Fiction has consisted either of placing imaginary characters in a true story, which is the Iliad, or of presenting the story of an individual as having a general historical value, which is the Odyssey.” quote by Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da7/raymond-queneau-12265_fiction_fiction-has-consisted-either-of-placing_2849641.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da7/raymond-queneau-12265_fiction_fiction-has-consisted-either-of-placing_2849641.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da7/raymond-queneau-12265_fiction_fiction-has-consisted-either-of-placing_2849641.jpg) > “Fiction has consisted either of placing imaginary characters in a true story, which is the Iliad, or of presenting the story of an individual as having a general historical value, which is the Odyssey.” [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fiction either embeds fictional characters in real events (like the Iliad) or presents a personal story as historically valuable (like the Odyssey). **In simple terms:** Stories blend imagination with reality in two main ways. Key Takeaway Recognize the two classic narrative structures. Themes literature storytelling history mythology structure Mood analytical reflective educational Type analysis interpretation When to use this quote - creative writing - teaching literature - film adaptation - cultural analysis Key Concepts narrative technique fictional realism historical allegory Questions to Reflect On - Which structure does your favorite story follow? - How does blending affect meaning? A Different Perspective Modern works often mix both approaches, blurring the line. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Consisted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-consisted-3783922/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Iliad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iliad/) [Imaginary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imaginary/) [Imaginary Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imaginary-characters-1690763/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Odyssey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/odyssey/) [Presenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presenting/) [Story Iliad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-iliad-2970447/) [True story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-story/) ## Related quotes > [A very great Iliad... concerns the creation of a nation. Raymond Queneau After the magical act accomplished by Joyce with Ulysses, perhaps we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/a-very-great-iliad-concerns-the-creation-of-a-nation-raymond-queneau/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [The basic story of "The Iliad" seems not even very servicable, for it has few parallels anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedric-h-whitman/the-basic-story-of-the-iliad-seems-not-even-very-servicable-for-it/) [Cedric H Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedric-h-whitman/) > [One can easily classify all works of fiction either as descendants of the Iliad or of the Odyssey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/one-can-easily-classify-all-works-of-fiction-either-as-descendants-of/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [It doesn't seem to me that anyone has discovered much that's new since the Iliad or the Odyssey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/it-doesn-t-seem-to-me-that-anyone-has-discovered-much-that-s-new/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [The Odyssey and Iliad say things about the human condition in ways we should re-acquaint ourselves with, and use as a prism to interpret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/the-odyssey-and-iliad-say-things-about-the-human-condition-in-ways-we/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [Be that blind bard who on the Chian strand, By those deep sounds possessed with inward light, Beheld the Iliad and the Odyssey Rise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/be-that-blind-bard-who-on-the-chian-strand-by-those-deep-sounds/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [“...we have a right to narrow down our universe ever further and further; until like the world of the Iliad and the Odyssey it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/we-have-a-right-to-narrow-down-our-universe-ever-further-and-further/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [I heard about Bhagavad Gita very early in my childhood, from the age of five onwards. It was one of the earliest things I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/i-heard-about-bhagavad-gita-very-early-in-my-childhood-from-the-age/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I practiced on the greatest model of storytelling we've got, which is "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey." I told those stories many, many times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/i-practiced-on-the-greatest-model-of-storytelling-we-ve-got-which-is/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [The Odyssey is, indeed, one of the greatest of all stories, it is the original romance of the West; but the Iliad, though a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saintsbury/the-odyssey-is-indeed-one-of-the-greatest-of-all-stories-it-is-the/) [George Saintsbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saintsbury/) > [My real purpose in telling middle-school students stories was to practice telling stories. And I practiced on the greatest model of storytelling we've got,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/my-real-purpose-in-telling-middle-school-students-stories-was-to/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [No ancient story, not even Homer's Iliad or Odyssey, has remained as popular through the course of time. The story of Rama appears as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frawley/no-ancient-story-not-even-homer-s-iliad-or-odyssey-has-remained-as/) [David Frawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frawley/) > [Go over to Greece with the Iliad and Odyssey. These have elements of history, and they have non-historical elements. It's very difficult to pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/go-over-to-greece-with-the-iliad-and-odyssey-these-have-elements-of/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Every great literature has always been allegorical - allegorical of some view of the whole universe. The 'Iliad' is only great because all life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/every-great-literature-has-always-been-allegorical-allegorical-of/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [The Iliad is only great because all life is a battle, The Odyssey because all life is a journey, The Book of Job because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-iliad-is-only-great-because-all-life-is-a-battle-the-odyssey/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Raymond Queneau > [All societies are historical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/all-societies-are-historical/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [Man's usual routine is to work and to dream and work and dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/man-s-usual-routine-is-to-work-and-to-dream-and-work-and-dream/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [The Iliad is the private lives of people thrown into disorder by history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/the-iliad-is-the-private-lives-of-people-thrown-into-disorder-by/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [“His thoughts were hemmed in. One can only draw curved lines on the terrestrial sphere which, as they extend, forever meet with themselves. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/his-thoughts-were-hemmed-in-one-can-only-draw-curved-lines-on-the/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [When Ulysses hears his own story sung by an epic poet and then he reveals his identity and the poet wants to continue singing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/when-ulysses-hears-his-own-story-sung-by-an-epic-poet-and-then-he/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [“As the saying goes: time is money- so give me some money to think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/as-the-saying-goes-time-is-money-so-give-me-some-money-to-think/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [“Spiders’ teeth are not so long as a torment that cannot be avowed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/spiders-teeth-are-not-so-long-as-a-torment-that-cannot-be-avowed/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [It doesn't seem to me that anyone has discovered much that's new since the Iliad or the Odyssey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/it-doesn-t-seem-to-me-that-anyone-has-discovered-much-that-s-new/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [It seems to me that an author who has determined very new domains in literature is Gertrude Stein.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/it-seems-to-me-that-an-author-who-has-determined-very-new-domains-in/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [To have one's own story told by a third party who doesn't know that the character in question is himself the hero of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/to-have-one-s-own-story-told-by-a-third-party-who-doesn-t-know-that/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [The most heartbreakingly poignant modern love story ever written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/the-most-heartbreakingly-poignant-modern-love-story-ever-written/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [Many novelists take well-defined, precise characters, whose stories are sometimes of mediocre interest, and place them in an important historical context, which remains secondary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/many-novelists-take-well-defined-precise-characters-whose-stories-are/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [“He wanted to be content with an identity nicely chopped into pieces of varying lengths, but whose character was always similar, without dyeing it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/he-wanted-to-be-content-with-an-identity-nicely-chopped-into-pieces/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [The poet is never inspired, because he is the master of that which appears to others as inspiration. He does not wait for inspiration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/the-poet-is-never-inspired-because-he-is-the-master-of-that-which/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [“Rules cease to exist once they have outlived their value, but forms live on eternally. There are forms of the novel which impose on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/rules-cease-to-exist-once-they-have-outlived-their-value-but-forms/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) [Explore all 41 Raymond Queneau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) ## More Fiction quotes > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [The thing about science fiction is that it's totally wide open. But it's wide open in a conditional way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/the-thing-about-science-fiction-is-that-it-s-totally-wide-open-but-it/) [Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/) > [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/) [Edward Einhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-einhorn/) > [Fiction is a way of exploring possibilities present but undreamt of in the living of a single life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/fiction-is-a-way-of-exploring-possibilities-present-but-undreamt-of/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [I love writing fiction and can do it anywhere - I once even missed a flight because I was so engrossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/i-love-writing-fiction-and-can-do-it-anywhere-i-once-even-missed-a/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [“The fiction will seek the real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coheed-and-cambria/the-fiction-will-seek-the-real/) [Coheed and Cambria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coheed-and-cambria/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-m-not-interested-in-making-a-diagnostic-novel-or-a-concern-i-m-100/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“His hands on my waist he gently pulled me n embrace. I could feel his breath on my face our lips were about to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-eglinger/his-hands-on-my-waist-he-gently-pulled-me-n-embrace-i-could-feel-his/) [Nicole Eglinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-eglinger/) > [In early drafts, one of the trickiest things for me to do was to realize that the techniques and devices that make readable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/in-early-drafts-one-of-the-trickiest-things-for-me-to-do-was-to/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Metafiction says something. It has to do with taking a large fiction itself and writing within it; that kind of self-reflecting writing that emerges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-coover/metafiction-says-something-it-has-to-do-with-taking-a-large-fiction/) [Robert Coover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-coover/) [Browse all 7,410 Fiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Fiction has consisted either of placing imaginary characters in a true story, which is the Iliad, or of presenting the story of an individual as having a general historical value, which is the Odyssey.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Raymond Queneau" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/fiction-has-consisted-either-of-placing-imaginary-characters-in-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fiction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/fiction-has-consisted-either-of-placing-imaginary-characters-in-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da7/raymond-queneau-12265_fiction_fiction-has-consisted-either-of-placing_2849641.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da7/raymond-queneau-12265_fiction_fiction-has-consisted-either-of-placing_2849641.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da7/raymond-queneau-12265_fiction_fiction-has-consisted-either-of-placing_2849641.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Fiction has consisted either of placing imaginary characters in a true story, which is the Iliad, or of…” — Raymond Queneau", "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": "Raymond Queneau", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Fiction has consisted either of placing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/fiction-has-consisted-either-of-placing-imaginary-characters-in-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/fiction-has-consisted-either-of-placing-imaginary-characters-in-a/#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 } } ] } ```