--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In 'Open City,' there is a passage that…" description: "\"In 'Open City,' there is a passage that any reader of Joyce will immediately recognise as a very close, formal analogue of one the stories in 'Dubliner..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/teju-cole-2851_also_in-open-city-there-is-a-passage-that-any_1839243.png" --- # In 'Open City,' there is a passage that any reader of… ![“In 'Open City,' there is a passage that any reader of Joyce will immediately recognise as a very close, formal analogue of one the stories in 'Dubliners.' That is because a novel is also a literary conversation.” quote by Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/teju-cole-2851_also_in-open-city-there-is-a-passage-that-any_1839243.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/teju-cole-2851_also_in-open-city-there-is-a-passage-that-any_1839243.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/teju-cole-2851_also_in-open-city-there-is-a-passage-that-any_1839243.png) > “In 'Open City,' there is a passage that any reader of Joyce will immediately recognise as a very close, formal analogue of one the stories in 'Dubliners.' That is because a novel is also a literary conversation.” [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage mirrors Joyce’s style, illustrating that novels engage in ongoing dialogue with literary tradition. **In simple terms:** Novels converse with past literature. Key Takeaway Appreciate intertextual connections. Themes literature dialogue intertextuality Mood analytical introspective Type literary critical When to use this quote - book club discussion - academic essay - creative writing - literary analysis Key Concepts literary theory modernism Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing literary echoes affect reading? - What value does literary conversation hold for authors? 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