--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Literature is that neuter, that…" description: "\"“Literature is that neuter, that composite, that oblique into which every subject escapes, the trap where all identity is lost, beginning with the very..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc4/roland-barthes-1062_author_literature-is-that-neuter-that-composite_2923689.png" --- # Literature is that neuter, that composite, that oblique… ![“Literature is that neuter, that composite, that oblique into which every subject escapes, the trap where all identity is lost, beginning with the very identity of the body that writes.” quote by Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc4/roland-barthes-1062_author_literature-is-that-neuter-that-composite_2923689.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc4/roland-barthes-1062_author_literature-is-that-neuter-that-composite_2923689.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc4/roland-barthes-1062_author_literature-is-that-neuter-that-composite_2923689.png) > ““Literature is that neuter, that composite, that oblique into which every subject escapes, the trap where all identity is lost, beginning with the very identity of the body that writes.”” [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Literature serves as a neutral, composite space where subjects escape identity, beginning with the writer's own body. **In simple terms:** Writing hides identity in a neutral space. Key Takeaway Embrace the ambiguity of language. Themes identity literature subjectivity escape body Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - creative writing - literary analysis - teaching composition - personal journaling Key Concepts poststructuralism deconstruction semiotics Questions to Reflect On - How does anonymity affect meaning? - Can loss of identity be empowering? A Different Perspective The claim may overlook literature’s power to affirm identity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/author/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Identity Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity-body-4272661/) [Identity Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity-lost-3372343/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Literature Neuter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature-neuter-4272662/) [Subject Escapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subject-escapes-4272663/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Without being aware of it, you take many things as being your identity: your body, your race, your beliefs, your thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/without-being-aware-of-it-you-take-many-things-as-being-your-identity/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [The gay community has a strength and identity that has been lost by dispossessed, guilt-ridden, straight men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-herring/the-gay-community-has-a-strength-and-identity-that-has-been-lost-by/) [Richard Herring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-herring/) > [“When people live in abnormality for too long, the abnormal becomes normal and eventually, identity is lost”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kudakwashe-mazendame/when-people-live-in-abnormality-for-too-long-the-abnormal-becomes/) [Kudakwashe Mazendame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kudakwashe-mazendame/) > [“At eighteen, she already looks like a woman of sorrows and as her breaths start becoming shorter, tired of looking over her shoulder, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-sen/at-eighteen-she-already-looks-like-a-woman-of-sorrows-and-as-her/) [Kunal Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-sen/) > [A wife should no more take her husband's name than he should hers. 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