--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Confidence-Man is actually anaphoric…" description: "\"“The Confidence-Man is actually anaphoric in its narrative structure, insofar as its entire plot consists of a series of exchanges involving one term w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/sianne-ngai-12114_confidence_the-confidence-man-is-actually-anaphoric_2611357.jpg" --- # The Confidence-Man is actually anaphoric in its narrative… ![“The Confidence-Man is actually anaphoric in its narrative structure, insofar as its entire plot consists of a series of exchanges involving one term which remains constant while the elements co-assembled to it rotate and change: CM and crowd CM and merchant CM and young scholar CM and clergyman CM…” quote by Sianne Ngai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/sianne-ngai-12114_confidence_the-confidence-man-is-actually-anaphoric_2611357.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/sianne-ngai-12114_confidence_the-confidence-man-is-actually-anaphoric_2611357.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/sianne-ngai-12114_confidence_the-confidence-man-is-actually-anaphoric_2611357.jpg) > ““The Confidence-Man is actually anaphoric in its narrative structure, insofar as its entire plot consists of a series of exchanges involving one term which remains constant while the elements co-assembled to it rotate and change: CM and crowd CM and merchant CM and young scholar CM and clergyman CM and miser CM and sick man CM and soldier of fortune CM and cripple CM and Missourian CM and barber CM and the stranger CM and the stranger’s disciple CM and old man, etc.”” [Sianne Ngai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrative repeats a single term while surrounding characters and situations constantly change, highlighting how identity can stay fixed amid shifting contexts. **In simple terms:** A constant term anchors a story while everything else rotates. Key Takeaway Notice how core ideas persist despite changing details. Themes identity structure change literature postmodernism Mood analytical thoughtful Type literary theoretical When to use this quote - literary analysis - teaching narrative theory - creative writing exercises Key Concepts anaphora narrative technique character archetypes Questions to Reflect On - How does the constant term shape your perception of the story? - What does this structure say about stability in society? A Different Perspective The focus on one term may oversimplify the complexity of individual characters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Narrative structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative-structure/) [Old man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-man/) ## Related quotes > [“Melville’s last published novel, The Confidence-Man (1857), a notably “talky” text that offers a useful allegory of the very”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/melville-s-last-published-novel-the-confidence-man-1857-a-notably/) [Sianne Ngai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/) > [“How much?,” referring to the medicine peddled by the confidence-man in his incarnation as “herb-doctor,” the analog amplifier replies, “As much as you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/how-much-referring-to-the-medicine-peddled-by-the-confidence-man-in/) [Sianne Ngai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/) > [He managed to do this 'tour de force' of styles without ever breaking the narrative structure of the chapter he was writing. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/he-managed-to-do-this-tour-de-force-of-styles-without-ever-breaking/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [That is many poets don't know how to tell a story and they don't have a sense of how to put things in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/that-is-many-poets-don-t-know-how-to-tell-a-story-and-they-don-t-have/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [I think Kurosawa was one of the first storytelling geniuses who began to change the narrative structure of films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-think-kurosawa-was-one-of-the-first-storytelling-geniuses-who-began/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [“Never try to change the narrative structure of someone else's story, though you will certainly be tempted to, as you watch those poor souls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/never-try-to-change-the-narrative-structure-of-someone-else-s-story/) [Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/) > [There's no linear narrative - the structure is more like a series of variations on a theme (how identity is shaped by language), with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-smith/there-s-no-linear-narrative-the-structure-is-more-like-a-series-of/) [Deborah Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-smith/) > [“The conventional use of words and of narrative structure is deliberately subverted in decadent fiction; language deviates from the established norms in an attempt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asti-hustvedt/the-conventional-use-of-words-and-of-narrative-structure-is/) [Asti Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asti-hustvedt/) > [“A garden path,' write the landscape architects Charles W. Moore, William J. Mitchell, and William Turnbull, 'can become the thread of a plot, connecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/a-garden-path-write-the-landscape-architects-charles-w-moore-william/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [As I read more and more fairy tales as an adult, I found massive collusion between their 'subjects' and those in my fiction: childhood,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bernheimer/as-i-read-more-and-more-fairy-tales-as-an-adult-i-found-massive/) [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) > [The F.B.I. was very happy with the article they produced, which was entitled, "The Black Merchants of Hate," that came out in early 1963.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manning-marable/the-f-b-i-was-very-happy-with-the-article-they-produced-which-was/) [Manning Marable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manning-marable/) > [The ultimate for me would be to do a feature that didn't require any narrative structure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-depp/the-ultimate-for-me-would-be-to-do-a-feature-that-didn-t-require-any/) [Johnny Depp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-depp/) > [I first read 'The Lord of the Rings' as an adolescent. It's a dense novel, a sprawling, complex monster of a book populated with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/i-first-read-the-lord-of-the-rings-as-an-adolescent-it-s-a-dense/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [A lack of narrative structure, as you know, will cause anxiety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dufresne/a-lack-of-narrative-structure-as-you-know-will-cause-anxiety/) [John Dufresne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dufresne/) > [“Story is one of the foundation stones of the human mind along with rhythm and chant. If a collection of facts lacks a narrative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-vehafric/story-is-one-of-the-foundation-stones-of-the-human-mind-along-with/) Frank Vehafric ## More by Sianne Ngai > [“in my afterword, which discusses the ugliest of all ugly feelings: disgust. As”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/in-my-afterword-which-discusses-the-ugliest-of-all-ugly-feelings/) [Sianne Ngai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/) > [“—rather than those of more iconic figures such as Ahab, Othello, or Lear, my focus will be on irritation instead of anger, envy rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/rather-than-those-of-more-iconic-figures-such-as-ahab-othello-or-lear/) [Sianne Ngai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/) > [“Both are also examples of film noir, a postwar genre commonly understood (even to the point of cliché) as being aesthetically and ideologically driven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/both-are-also-examples-of-film-noir-a-postwar-genre-commonly/) [Sianne Ngai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/) > [“In other words, a positional parallelism in which sound is foregrounded as an independent feature (Nathanson, WP, 140), comes to override an ideational parallelism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/in-other-words-a-positional-parallelism-in-which-sound-is/) [Sianne Ngai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/) > [“Indeed, while it is widely agreed that “emotions play roles in forms of action,”22 the feelings in this study tend to be diagnostic rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/indeed-while-it-is-widely-agreed-that-emotions-play-roles-in-forms-of/) [Sianne Ngai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/) > [“On one hand, the state of being “animated” implies the most general of all affective conditions (that of being “moved” in one way or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/on-one-hand-the-state-of-being-animated-implies-the-most-general-of/) [Sianne Ngai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/) > [“In fact, the shot’s cunning re-objectivization suggests just how uncertain this surveillance expert’s grasp of the visual field has perhaps been all along.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/in-fact-the-shot-s-cunning-re-objectivization-suggests-just-how/) [Sianne Ngai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/) > [“In fact, I would suggest that what each moment produces is the inherently ambiguous affect of affective disorientation in general—what we might think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/in-fact-i-would-suggest-that-what-each-moment-produces-is-the/) [Sianne Ngai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/) > [“As an affective matrix devised as a “psychological explanation” for revolutionary or political impulses, which reduces social antagonisms to deficiencies of individual character or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/as-an-affective-matrix-devised-as-a-psychological-explanation-for/) [Sianne Ngai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/) > [“these audible demonstrations that whether the feeling is vested in abstract systems or in personal relationships, the world of the novel’s story runs on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/these-audible-demonstrations-that-whether-the-feeling-is-vested-in/) [Sianne Ngai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/) > [“Indeed, as a system of exchange based on a highly codified feeling that is continually reproduced and circulated even as it cannot be subjectively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/indeed-as-a-system-of-exchange-based-on-a-highly-codified-feeling/) [Sianne Ngai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/) > [“The Conversation to produce another highly determinate feeling—paranoia—that not coincidentally replicates the subjective/objective oscillation in its basic structure: Is the enemy out there or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/the-conversation-to-produce-another-highly-determinate-feeling/) [Sianne Ngai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/) > [“In both cases, the difficulty lies not in the ontological difference between real emotion and virtual emotion, but rather in their proximity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/in-both-cases-the-difficulty-lies-not-in-the-ontological-difference/) [Sianne Ngai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/) > [“If Ugly Feelings is a bestiary of affects, in other words, it is one filled with rats and possums rather than lions, its categories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/if-ugly-feelings-is-a-bestiary-of-affects-in-other-words-it-is-one/) [Sianne Ngai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/) > [“Yet the point of the Black Rapids agent’s story is precisely that an illusory panic can easily generate a “double” that is actually experienced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/yet-the-point-of-the-black-rapids-agent-s-story-is-precisely-that-an/) [Sianne Ngai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/) [Explore all 56 Sianne Ngai quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/) ## More Confidence quotes > [The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-cia-has-concluded-in-a-secret-assessment-that-russia-intervened/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [I was just confident my work was good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bunny-yeager/i-was-just-confident-my-work-was-good/) [Bunny Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bunny-yeager/) > [I am confident when I take the penalty otherwise I would pass for somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-fernandes/i-am-confident-when-i-take-the-penalty-otherwise-i-would-pass-for/) [Bruno Fernandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-fernandes/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [My friend made me a leather dress for the MTV awards. It gives you confidence, wearing something you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-deeley/my-friend-made-me-a-leather-dress-for-the-mtv-awards-it-gives-you/) [Cat Deeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-deeley/) > [Confidence comes from cutting yourself some slack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/confidence-comes-from-cutting-yourself-some-slack/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [I would rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-ball/i-would-rather-regret-the-things-that-i-have-done-than-the-things/) [Lucille Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-ball/) > [You want to remain hungry and stay in a good place as a competitor; at the same time, you want to be confident but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-odom/you-want-to-remain-hungry-and-stay-in-a-good-place-as-a-competitor-at/) [Lamar Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-odom/) > [Get to know yourself well enough to not only expect, but also control, your response to the unexpected challenges in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/get-to-know-yourself-well-enough-to-not-only-expect-but-also-control/) Senoraroy > [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [I look for someone who has confidence. Also someone whose energetic, cause I'm NOT that energetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-jonas/i-look-for-someone-who-has-confidence-also-someone-whose-energetic/) [Nick Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-jonas/) > [Why shouldn't I be confident? I'm well educated, I can deliver a line, and I have more than three expressions. That's good right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonakshi-sinha/why-shouldn-t-i-be-confident-i-m-well-educated-i-can-deliver-a-line/) [Sonakshi Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonakshi-sinha/) > [I was very confident on the stage, and I stood out in a red gown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-johnson/i-was-very-confident-on-the-stage-and-i-stood-out-in-a-red-gown/) [Nicole Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-johnson/) > [If you go to any nunnery and ask them what the main obstacle is, they'll always say low self-esteem and lack of confidence. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-go-to-any-nunnery-and-ask-them-what-the-main-obstacle-is-they/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) [Browse all 11,290 Confidence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The Confidence-Man is actually anaphoric in its narrative structure, insofar as its entire plot consists of a series of exchanges involving one term which remains constant while the elements co-assembled to it rotate and change: CM and crowd CM and merchant CM and young scholar CM and clergyman CM and miser CM and sick man CM and soldier of fortune CM and cripple CM and Missourian CM and barber CM and the stranger CM and the stranger’s disciple CM and old man, etc.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sianne Ngai" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/the-confidence-man-is-actually-anaphoric-in-its-narrative-structure/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Confidence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/the-confidence-man-is-actually-anaphoric-in-its-narrative-structure/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/sianne-ngai-12114_confidence_the-confidence-man-is-actually-anaphoric_2611357.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/sianne-ngai-12114_confidence_the-confidence-man-is-actually-anaphoric_2611357.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/sianne-ngai-12114_confidence_the-confidence-man-is-actually-anaphoric_2611357.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Confidence-Man is actually anaphoric in its narrative structure, insofar as its entire plot consists of…” — Sianne Ngai", "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": "Sianne Ngai", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The Confidence-Man is actually anaphoric in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/the-confidence-man-is-actually-anaphoric-in-its-narrative-structure/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/the-confidence-man-is-actually-anaphoric-in-its-narrative-structure/#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 } } ] } ```