--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can be interested in a Jane Smiley…" description: "\"You can be interested in a Jane Smiley novel whether or not anyone says a word. She enters into her characters thoughts with great understanding and de..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9c/richard-russo-1691_books_you-can-be-interested-in-a-jane-smiley-n_2325439.png" --- # You can be interested in a Jane Smiley novel whether or… ![“You can be interested in a Jane Smiley novel whether or not anyone says a word. She enters into her characters thoughts with great understanding and depth.” quote by Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9c/richard-russo-1691_books_you-can-be-interested-in-a-jane-smiley-n_2325439.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9c/richard-russo-1691_books_you-can-be-interested-in-a-jane-smiley-n_2325439.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9c/richard-russo-1691_books_you-can-be-interested-in-a-jane-smiley-n_2325439.png) > “You can be interested in a Jane Smiley novel whether or not anyone says a word. She enters into her characters thoughts with great understanding and depth.” [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The novel’s depth lies in its empathetic portrayal of characters’ inner lives. **In simple terms:** It shows deep understanding of characters. Key Takeaway Value empathy when reading fiction. Themes literature empathy character study depth Mood analytical reflective Type critical inspirational When to use this quote - book clubs - writing workshops - teaching literature - personal reading Key Concepts psychology narrative technique humanism Questions to Reflect On - How does empathy shape your reading? - What makes a character feel real? A Different Perspective Not all readers connect with introspective styles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Characters Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters-thoughts-4633993/) [Depth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depth/) [Interested Jane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interested-jane-5574845/) [Jane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jane/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jane-smiley-5574843/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novel Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-says-3255181/) [Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smiley/) [Smiley Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smiley-novel-5574844/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) ## Related quotes > [Before novels written by women were relegated to their own 'genre,' I was introduced to Jane Smiley by a dear professor who raised my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-mclaughlin/before-novels-written-by-women-were-relegated-to-their-own-genre-i/) [Emma McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-mclaughlin/) > [I discovered you can get closer to a characters thoughts and feelings in a book than in a film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-gleitzman/i-discovered-you-can-get-closer-to-a-characters-thoughts-and-feelings/) [Morris Gleitzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-gleitzman/) > [I get the impression from some people that unless they get direct access to characters' thoughts and realizations, either through thought balloons or narrations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/i-get-the-impression-from-some-people-that-unless-they-get-direct/) [Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) > [“She is a character in a novel, he says. The product of a male author’s imagination. This Defoe, is he French? No, I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-leine/she-is-a-character-in-a-novel-he-says-the-product-of-a-male-author-s/) [Kim Leine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-leine/) > [The most common mistake students of literature make is to go straight for what the poem or novel says, setting aside the way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/the-most-common-mistake-students-of-literature-make-is-to-go-straight/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [“There is an old-fashioned distinction between the novel of character and the novel of incident, which must have cost many a smile to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/there-is-an-old-fashioned-distinction-between-the-novel-of-character/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [Going all the way back to Jeremiah Wright and Tavis Smiley and Van Jones and even Shirley Sherrod and maybe even Maxine Waters and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/going-all-the-way-back-to-jeremiah-wright-and-tavis-smiley-and-van/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I was an open, smiley and gregarious child. I could make friends in 30 seconds wherever I went.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/america-ferrera/i-was-an-open-smiley-and-gregarious-child-i-could-make-friends-in-30/) [America Ferrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/america-ferrera/) > [It's nice that I can go down the road of obsessing over this smiley-face bullshit so maybe I can get free from it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-lowman/it-s-nice-that-i-can-go-down-the-road-of-obsessing-over-this-smiley/) [Nate Lowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-lowman/) > [I'm really not into that super-crazy-colour, smiley-faces-on-the-front-of-your-dress look. That's not my thing. You're not going to see me in pink. Or anything frilly. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-wasson/i-m-really-not-into-that-super-crazy-colour-smiley-faces-on-the-front/) [Erin Wasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-wasson/) > [Flourishing is everyone's birthright. I'm trying to break this hold that being smiley and cheery has on what people think the good life is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jurvetson/flourishing-is-everyone-s-birthright-i-m-trying-to-break-this-hold/) [Steve Jurvetson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jurvetson/) > [I'm trying to broaden the scope of positive psychology well beyond the smiley face. Happiness is just one-fifth of what human beings choose to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/i-m-trying-to-broaden-the-scope-of-positive-psychology-well-beyond/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [I'm quite an optimist, quite happy in life, quite smiley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-hawkins/i-m-quite-an-optimist-quite-happy-in-life-quite-smiley/) [Sally Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-hawkins/) > [The door swung open and Kate walked in. Her jeans and T-shirt were splattered with blood and she was carrying a severed vampire head.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/the-door-swung-open-and-kate-walked-in-her-jeans-and-t-shirt-were/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [The creation of George Smiley, the retired spy recalled to hunt for just such a high-ranking mole in 'Tinker, Tailor,' was extremely personal. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/the-creation-of-george-smiley-the-retired-spy-recalled-to-hunt-for/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) ## More by Richard Russo > [“The problem with the contemplative life was that there was no end to contemplation, no fixed time limit after which thought had to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/the-problem-with-the-contemplative-life-was-that-there-was-no-end-to/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [“That, very simply, was what adulthood must be all about—acquiring the skill to bury things more deeply. Out of sight and, whenever possible, out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/that-very-simply-was-what-adulthood-must-be-all-about-acquiring-the/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [“Miles couldn't help admiring women for their ability to dismiss the evidence of their senses. If that's what explained it. If it wasn't simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/miles-couldn-t-help-admiring-women-for-their-ability-to-dismiss-the/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [That afternoon I came to understand that one of the deepest purposes of intellectual sophistication is to provide distance between us and our most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/that-afternoon-i-came-to-understand-that-one-of-the-deepest-purposes/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [“Lucy, who apparently had no idea his girlfriend's father held him in such low regard, agreed with Noonan that he was pushing the envelope,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/lucy-who-apparently-had-no-idea-his-girlfriend-s-father-held-him-in/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [Movies have to handle time very efficiently. They're about stringing scenes together in the present. Novels aren't necessarily about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/movies-have-to-handle-time-very-efficiently-they-re-about-stringing/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [When authors who write literary fiction begin to write screenplays, everybody assumes that's the end. Here's another who's never going to write well again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/when-authors-who-write-literary-fiction-begin-to-write-screenplays/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [“There was something about spending money they didn't really have that made him optimistic about more coming in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/there-was-something-about-spending-money-they-didn-t-really-have-that/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [Some authors have a very hard time understanding that in order to be faithful to the spirit of the book, it's almost always impossible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/some-authors-have-a-very-hard-time-understanding-that-in-order-to-be/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [HBO is really famous for hiring good people and staying out of their way until they ask for help, or need it. And that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/hbo-is-really-famous-for-hiring-good-people-and-staying-out-of-their/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [I don't think there's a shortage of material in the world. Or in my head. I just pray for continued good health, because I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-shortage-of-material-in-the-world-or-in-my/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [Where was the middle ground between a sense of adventure and just plain sense?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/where-was-the-middle-ground-between-a-sense-of-adventure-and-just/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [“Non basta una vita "One life isn't enough”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/non-basta-una-vita-one-life-isn-t-enough/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [“... Mr. Purty has cheered me up. The task he has chosen for himself, of wooing my mother with a bright red pickup truck,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/mr-purty-has-cheered-me-up-the-task-he-has-chosen-for-himself-of/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [“So what? Few men, Miles reflected, lived so comfortably within the confines of a two.word personal philosophy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/so-what-few-men-miles-reflected-lived-so-comfortably-within-the/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) [Explore all 214 Richard Russo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) ## 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. 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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": "You can be interested in a Jane Smiley novel whether or not anyone says a word. 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