--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We drank coffee. We talked. She loved…" description: "\"“We drank coffee. We talked. She loved Charles Dickens, whom she read in Norwegian. Years after she was dead, I wrote a dissertation on Dickens, and th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/797/siri-hustvedt-860_family_we-drank-coffee-we-talked-she-loved-char_1119204.jpg" --- # We drank coffee. We talked. She loved Charles Dickens… ![“We drank coffee. We talked. She loved Charles Dickens, whom she read in Norwegian. Years after she was dead, I wrote a dissertation on Dickens, and though my study of the great man would no doubt have alarmed her, I had a funny feeling that by taking on the English novelist I was returning to my…” quote by Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/797/siri-hustvedt-860_family_we-drank-coffee-we-talked-she-loved-char_1119204.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/797/siri-hustvedt-860_family_we-drank-coffee-we-talked-she-loved-char_1119204.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/797/siri-hustvedt-860_family_we-drank-coffee-we-talked-she-loved-char_1119204.jpg) > ““We drank coffee. We talked. She loved Charles Dickens, whom she read in Norwegian. Years after she was dead, I wrote a dissertation on Dickens, and though my study of the great man would no doubt have alarmed her, I had a funny feeling that by taking on the English novelist I was returning to my Norwegian roots.”” [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator reflects on how studying a beloved author reconnects her with her cultural heritage, linking personal and academic pursuits. **In simple terms:** Studying Dickens helped her reconnect with Norwegian roots. Key Takeaway Explore personal history through literature. Themes identity heritage literature memory self‑discovery Mood nostalgic introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - academic research - personal memoir writing - cross‑cultural education - family storytelling Key Concepts cultural identity intertextuality autobiographical writing Questions to Reflect On - What does “returning to my Norwegian roots” mean to you? - How does literature shape personal identity? A Different Perspective The link between Dickens and Norwegian roots may be metaphorical rather than literal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Great man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-man/) ## Related quotes > [We drank our coffee the Russian way. 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Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [“Janet who said excellent! in answer to everything and drank coffee from a pink mug that said Janet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/janet-who-said-excellent-in-answer-to-everything-and-drank-coffee/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) ## More by Siri Hustvedt > [I am married to a writer, and this - writing - is an odd enterprise. It's something we both support very strongly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-am-married-to-a-writer-and-this-writing-is-an-odd-enterprise-it-s/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [With almost no exceptions, art by men is much more expensive than art by women. 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