Desire Quote by Vivian Gornick
“The desire for narration keeps on reasserting itself, so that since modernism and fiction brought narration to an end, it is sought in memoirs.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: “The Desire for Narration” in The New Yorker, 1995
Narration persists despite modernist claims of its demise, shifting to memoirs as a new venue for storytelling.
In simple terms: Stories still need a narrator, now often in memoirs.
Key Takeaway
Embrace memoirs to explore personal narratives.
Themes
narrative
modernism
memoir
literary trends
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
literary
critical
When to use this quote
- writing workshops
- creative nonfiction classes
- personal therapy
- publishing memoirs
Key Concepts
postmodernism
identity
memory
Questions to Reflect On
- How do memoirs reshape our understanding of truth?
- What draws readers to personal narratives?
A Different Perspective
Memoirs may blur fact and fiction, challenging authenticity.
![“I had never done a Director's Cut narration on Beaches so I did in time for the release of the DVD. It was a great visit and I do a whole-behind-the-scenes thing and I tell stories about Bette [Mudler] and Barbara Hershey and everybody and that was fun. It made me cry again.” quote by Garry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e30/garry-marshall-12551_barbara_i-had-never-done-a-director-s-cut-narrat_66832.jpg)
![“Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three [great teachers] did not tell - they catalyzed a burning desire to know. Under their influence, the horizons sprung wide and fear went away and the unknown became knowable. But most important of…” quote by John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/84c/john-steinbeck-71_art_teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-t_1738.jpg)
