--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is much easier for me to define what…" description: "\"It is much easier for me to define what makes a novel French or Russian, but defining the characteristics of an Australian novel are difficult for me a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/robert-dessaix-21751_australian_it-is-much-easier-for-me-to-define-what_1044358.png" --- # It is much easier for me to define what makes a novel… ![“It is much easier for me to define what makes a novel French or Russian, but defining the characteristics of an Australian novel are difficult for me as it is all too close - I can't see the woods for the trees.” quote by Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/robert-dessaix-21751_australian_it-is-much-easier-for-me-to-define-what_1044358.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/robert-dessaix-21751_australian_it-is-much-easier-for-me-to-define-what_1044358.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/robert-dessaix-21751_australian_it-is-much-easier-for-me-to-define-what_1044358.png) > “It is much easier for me to define what makes a novel French or Russian, but defining the characteristics of an Australian novel are difficult for me as it is all too close - I can't see the woods for the trees.” [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He finds it hard to define Australian novels because they feel too familiar, unlike clear foreign distinctions. **In simple terms:** Australian novels are hard to define due to familiarity. Key Takeaway Seek distinct cultural markers. Themes literature identity nationalism Mood analytical inquisitive Type critical introspective When to use this quote - book clubs - creative writing workshops - literary criticism Key Concepts cultural analysis genre theory Questions to Reflect On - What makes a novel uniquely Australian? - How do you recognize cultural nuances? A Different Perspective Risk of overgeneralizing national traits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Australian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/australian/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woods/) ## Related quotes > [“Eucalyptus. Murray Bail. Someone told me that this was a great novel so I bought it, but then I discovered that it was great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-hill/eucalyptus-murray-bail-someone-told-me-that-this-was-a-great-novel-so/) [Susan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-hill/) > [“The whole of life did not consist in going to bed with a woman, he thought, returning to Scott and Balzac, to the English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-whole-of-life-did-not-consist-in-going-to-bed-with-a-woman-he/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Characters to me are like sonnets, they have limits that you obey which allow a force to enter in, an invention that makes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-chee/characters-to-me-are-like-sonnets-they-have-limits-that-you-obey/) [Alexander Chee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-chee/) > [“One word at a time, makes a novel at the finish line." - Vik Tory Arch”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vik-tory-arch/one-word-at-a-time-makes-a-novel-at-the-finish-line-vik-tory-arch/) Vik Tory Arch > [To read a novel is a difficult and complex art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/to-read-a-novel-is-a-difficult-and-complex-art/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [In a revolution, as in a novel, the most difficult part to invent is the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/in-a-revolution-as-in-a-novel-the-most-difficult-part-to-invent-is/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [To read a novel is a difficult and complex art. You must be capable not only of great fineness of perception, but of great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/to-read-a-novel-is-a-difficult-and-complex-art-you-must-be-capable/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Sometimes when a character in a novel is difficult for me to enter, I sue something in myself or in my own life as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/sometimes-when-a-character-in-a-novel-is-difficult-for-me-to-enter-i/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [I found my first novel difficult. I don't want to make it sound like it's any more difficult than driving a cab or going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/i-found-my-first-novel-difficult-i-don-t-want-to-make-it-sound-like/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [It's the technique, I think, of writing a novel that is difficult for a nonfiction writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/it-s-the-technique-i-think-of-writing-a-novel-that-is-difficult-for-a/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [ I never left my roots. You can identify me as someone that didn't become high and mighty. Humility is a defining \[trait\] all of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serena-williams/i-never-left-my-roots-you-can-identify-me-as-someone-that-didn-t/) [Serena Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serena-williams/) > [Good history is a question of survival. Without any past, we will deprive ourselves of the defining impression of our being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/good-history-is-a-question-of-survival-without-any-past-we-will/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [“There are no defining moments. There are only your moments to define.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-dowd/there-are-no-defining-moments-there-are-only-your-moments-to-define/) Thomas B Dowd > [I think the word 'soul' - it depends on what you define by 'soul.' If you're defining it as a mystical aura that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-nicolelis/i-think-the-word-soul-it-depends-on-what-you-define-by-soul-if-you-re/) [Miguel Nicolelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-nicolelis/) > [One defining symptom of decadence is a fondness for vast and nonsensical extravagance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/one-defining-symptom-of-decadence-is-a-fondness-for-vast-and/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) ## More by Robert Dessaix > [Every time you watch a performance in the theatre, you know that this is just for you, and will never be the same again.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/every-time-you-watch-a-performance-in-the-theatre-you-know-that-this/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [I did spend about 5 years in the Griffin Theatre Company in 1978 actually , and worked therefore about 5 years on a voluntary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/i-did-spend-about-5-years-in-the-griffin-theatre-company-in-1978/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [Writers feel that they can't afford to wait. They must do it now, and they are so clever, and there is so much competition.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/writers-feel-that-they-can-t-afford-to-wait-they-must-do-it-now-and/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [I think it is an important question of our lives - what is the meaning of literature to us as humans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/i-think-it-is-an-important-question-of-our-lives-what-is-the-meaning/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [A form of art that I like is portraiture. I've been thinking about portraiture, and its relationship to writing and literature, biography and autobiography,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/a-form-of-art-that-i-like-is-portraiture-i-ve-been-thinking-about/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [There is a mental space that we consciously makes our way back to, and give honour to what has formed us in this mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/there-is-a-mental-space-that-we-consciously-makes-our-way-back-to-and/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [I think that a lot of people do have a physical Ithaca, but I don't think that I do and I think that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/i-think-that-a-lot-of-people-do-have-a-physical-ithaca-but-i-don-t/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [Despite the war, and bombings, and all the big things that happen to us, the stuff of our lives is small and always will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/despite-the-war-and-bombings-and-all-the-big-things-that-happen-to-us/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [“...'undertow'. It describes (...) how underneath our own everyday lives - the shopping and squabbles and weeding and trips to the vet - there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/undertow-it-describes-how-underneath-our-own-everyday-lives-the/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [When I re-read the Odyssey, it felt like I was reading PD James or Minette Walters - you feel that you are sharing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/when-i-re-read-the-odyssey-it-felt-like-i-was-reading-pd-james-or/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [“How do you irradiate the humbly trivial - the sneezes and waiting in bus-queues - with the lofty, and at the same time cherish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/how-do-you-irradiate-the-humbly-trivial-the-sneezes-and-waiting-in/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [I think that in this globalised world, the local is going to become more and more important - it is a paradox. You see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/i-think-that-in-this-globalised-world-the-local-is-going-to-become/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [The extraordinarily facile and in literary terms long lived works tend to be about ordinary people. Even Sappho writes about the utterly insignificant .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/the-extraordinarily-facile-and-in-literary-terms-long-lived-works/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [One has to choose a word in English. If you want to be eligible for a literary prize you have to designate it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/one-has-to-choose-a-word-in-english-if-you-want-to-be-eligible-for-a/) [Robert Dessaix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) > [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/) [Explore all 28 Robert Dessaix quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/) ## More Australian quotes > [Before The Ultimate Fighter, I was appearing before a couple of hundred people at most. Now, I'm on the card of a Las Vegas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whittaker/before-the-ultimate-fighter-i-was-appearing-before-a-couple-of/) [Robert Whittaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whittaker/) > [And the commitment that I've been giving to the Australian people is that there'll be no surprises and no excuses under a Coalition government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/and-the-commitment-that-i-ve-been-giving-to-the-australian-people-is/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [I really miss the Australian lifestyle and being around my friends and family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-buzolic/i-really-miss-the-australian-lifestyle-and-being-around-my-friends/) [Nathaniel Buzolic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-buzolic/) > [Being involved in sports and having a very sport orientated family just helped the transition extremely well. I guess, in a way, your school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saroo-brierley/being-involved-in-sports-and-having-a-very-sport-orientated-family/) [Saroo Brierley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saroo-brierley/) > [I grew up listening to Nirvana and then went through some bad '90s pop stuff - a lot of Australian one-hit wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-barnett/i-grew-up-listening-to-nirvana-and-then-went-through-some-bad-90s-pop/) [Courtney Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-barnett/) > [The Australian Book of Etiquette is a very slim volume.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-australian-book-of-etiquette-is-a-very-slim-volume/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [I always think the really unfortunate thing about the Australian film industry is its lack of momentum. And I don't mean this in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-pearce/i-always-think-the-really-unfortunate-thing-about-the-australian-film/) [Guy Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-pearce/) > [MPU was a great platform for emotional drama and Australian stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-a-healy/mpu-was-a-great-platform-for-emotional-drama-and-australian-stories/) Michael A. Healy > [“If I fuck you, you’ll think all your prayers have been answered. I’ll make you see god, Middleton. I’ll make you think I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-dangerfield/if-i-fuck-you-you-ll-think-all-your-prayers-have-been-answered-i-ll/) [Eve Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-dangerfield/) > [Years later, when I was working as a trolley wally in a supermarket, I tackled the boredom by talking to the customers in as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romesh-ranganathan/years-later-when-i-was-working-as-a-trolley-wally-in-a-supermarket-i/) [Romesh Ranganathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romesh-ranganathan/) > [There's a bunch of directors that I really admire, and Australian ones as well. It would be nice to do a film at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-wasikowska/there-s-a-bunch-of-directors-that-i-really-admire-and-australian-ones/) [Mia Wasikowska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-wasikowska/) > [An Australian prime minister once said that his job was the second most important job in the country - behind being captain of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/an-australian-prime-minister-once-said-that-his-job-was-the-second/) [Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) > [The Australian people want to help build this country into a great nation. This budget... has not realized the capacity of the Australian people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-australian-people-want-to-help-build-this-country-into-a-great/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you wish to understand me at all (and to write an autobiography is only to open a window into one's heart) you must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-melba/if-you-wish-to-understand-me-at-all-and-to-write-an-autobiography-is/) [Nellie Melba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-melba/) > [The Labor Party has always - always been praised as leaders. In fact, there's probably more books written about ALP leaders and the ALP…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mundine/the-labor-party-has-always-always-been-praised-as-leaders-in-fact/) [Warren Mundine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mundine/) [Browse all 655 Australian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/australian/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is much easier for me to define what makes a novel French or Russian, but defining the characteristics of an Australian novel are difficult for me as it is all too close - I can't see the woods for the trees.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Dessaix" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/it-is-much-easier-for-me-to-define-what-makes-a-novel-french-or/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Australian" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/it-is-much-easier-for-me-to-define-what-makes-a-novel-french-or/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/robert-dessaix-21751_australian_it-is-much-easier-for-me-to-define-what_1044358.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/robert-dessaix-21751_australian_it-is-much-easier-for-me-to-define-what_1044358.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/robert-dessaix-21751_australian_it-is-much-easier-for-me-to-define-what_1044358.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is much easier for me to define what makes a novel French or Russian, but defining the characteristics of…” — Robert Dessaix", "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": "Robert Dessaix", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dessaix/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is much easier for me...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/it-is-much-easier-for-me-to-define-what-makes-a-novel-french-or/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dessaix/it-is-much-easier-for-me-to-define-what-makes-a-novel-french-or/#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 } } ] } ```