--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Biography always has fulfiled this role…" description: "\"Biography always has fulfiled this role. Robinson Crusoe is a biography, as is Tom Jones. You can go through the whole range of the novel, and you will..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54e/william-golding-1233_biographies_biography-always-has-fulfiled-this-role_1981847.png" --- # Biography always has fulfiled this role. Robinson Crusoe… ![“Biography always has fulfiled this role. Robinson Crusoe is a biography, as is Tom Jones. You can go through the whole range of the novel, and you will find it is biography. The only difference between one example and the other is that sometimes it's a partial biography and sometimes it's a total…” quote by William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54e/william-golding-1233_biographies_biography-always-has-fulfiled-this-role_1981847.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54e/william-golding-1233_biographies_biography-always-has-fulfiled-this-role_1981847.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54e/william-golding-1233_biographies_biography-always-has-fulfiled-this-role_1981847.png) > “Biography always has fulfiled this role. Robinson Crusoe is a biography, as is Tom Jones. You can go through the whole range of the novel, and you will find it is biography. The only difference between one example and the other is that sometimes it's a partial biography and sometimes it's a total biography. Clarissa, for example, is a partial biography of Clarissa and a partial biography of Lovelace. In other words, it doesn't follow Lovelace from when he is in the cradle, though it takes him to the grave.” [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that novels function as biographies, portraying lives either partially or fully, regardless of genre conventions **In simple terms:** Novels are essentially biographies of their characters Key Takeaway Read novels as life stories Themes literature identity biography Mood analytical contemplative Type critical theoretical When to use this quote - reading analysis - creative writing - teaching literature Key Concepts character study narrative form Questions to Reflect On - How does this view change your reading of fiction? - Can a story without a central character be a biography? A Different Perspective The claim may overlook novels that prioritize plot over character development ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Biographies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies/) [Biography Difference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biography-difference-3388108/) [Cradle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cradle/) [Crusoe Biography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crusoe-biography-3388107/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example/) [Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graves/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novel Biography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-biography-3388109/) [Partial Biography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/partial-biography-3388110/) [Range](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/range/) [Robinson crusoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robinson-crusoe/) [Roles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roles/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Toms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toms/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) ## Related quotes > [ Every novel is a biography. Well, then, this is a novel \[The Paper Men\] which is a biography that is pretending to be an… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/every-novel-is-a-biography-well-then-this-is-a-novel-the-paper-men/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [“A good novel is the biography of an imaginary person--and when the biography is completed, the person is no longer imaginary; he is as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-edmund-barrett/a-good-novel-is-the-biography-of-an-imaginary-person-and-when-the/) [William Edmund Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-edmund-barrett/) > [The organizer of industry who thinks he has 'made' himself and his business has found a whole social system ready to his hand in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-trelawny-hobhouse/the-organizer-of-industry-who-thinks-he-has-made-himself-and-his/) [Leonard Trelawny Hobhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-trelawny-hobhouse/) > [There is always an unconscious collaboration among artists.. ..the artist who imagine himself a Robinson Crusoe is either a primitive or a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-baziotes/there-is-always-an-unconscious-collaboration-among-artists-the-artist/) [William Baziotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-baziotes/) > [“Homer, in the second book of the Iliad says with fine enthusiasm, "Give me masturbation or give me death." Caesar, in his Commentaries, says,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/homer-in-the-second-book-of-the-iliad-says-with-fine-enthusiasm-give/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“I can still remember the miraculous feeling of writing a sentence, then more sentences, telling a story. The first thing I wrote was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-mankell/i-can-still-remember-the-miraculous-feeling-of-writing-a-sentence/) [Henning Mankell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-mankell/) > [“You are not to take it, if you please, as the saying of an ignorant man, when I express my opinion that such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilkie-collins/you-are-not-to-take-it-if-you-please-as-the-saying-of-an-ignorant-man/) [Wilkie Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilkie-collins/) > [In Soviet times, the border was closed, so we couldn't get out of the country, and I had been reading Robinson Crusoe. I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wladimir-klitschko/in-soviet-times-the-border-was-closed-so-we-couldn-t-get-out-of-the/) [Wladimir Klitschko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wladimir-klitschko/) > [“...and for which the very name of a Spaniard is reckoned to be frightful and terrible, to all people of humanity or of Christian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/and-for-which-the-very-name-of-a-spaniard-is-reckoned-to-be-frightful/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [I don't know where my romanticism comes from. My mom and dad would read to me a lot. 'Treasure Island,' 'Robinson Crusoe,' tales of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/i-don-t-know-where-my-romanticism-comes-from-my-mom-and-dad-would/) [Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/) > [“and in that one night's wickedness I drowned all my repentance,all my reflections upon my past conduct,and all my resolution for the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/and-in-that-one-night-s-wickedness-i-drowned-all-my-repentance-all-my/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [Which class is happiest, the rich, the middle class or the poor? A very successful executive of a large organization touches upon this vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/which-class-is-happiest-the-rich-the-middle-class-or-the-poor-a-very/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [“All right, little boy, he tried kidding himself, calm down now. Santa Claus is coming to town with all the nice answers. No longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-matheson/all-right-little-boy-he-tried-kidding-himself-calm-down-now-santa/) [Richard Matheson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-matheson/) > [“every man is an island and at the same time also robinson crusoe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-courtenay/every-man-is-an-island-and-at-the-same-time-also-robinson-crusoe/) [Bryce Courtenay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-courtenay/) > [The point I wish plainly to bring before you on this occasion is the individuality of each human soul--our Protestant idea, the right of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-point-i-wish-plainly-to-bring-before-you-on-this-occasion-is-the/) [Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/) ## More by William Golding > [Heaven lies around us in our infancy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/heaven-lies-around-us-in-our-infancy/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [“Sucks to your ass-mar!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/sucks-to-your-ass-mar/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/ralph-wept-for-the-end-of-innocence-the-darkness-of-man-s-heart-and/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [“Once more, amid the breeze, the shouting, the slanting sunlight on the high mountain, was shed that glamour, that strange invisible light of friendship,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/once-more-amid-the-breeze-the-shouting-the-slanting-sunlight-on-the/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [“There ought to be some mode of life where all love is good, where one love can't compete with another but adds to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/there-ought-to-be-some-mode-of-life-where-all-love-is-good-where-one/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [His mind was crowded with memories; memories of the knowledge that had come to them when they closed in on the struggling pig, knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/his-mind-was-crowded-with-memories-memories-of-the-knowledge-that-had/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [“I stood, in shame and confusion, seeing for the first time despite my anger a different picture of Evie in her life-long struggle to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/i-stood-in-shame-and-confusion-seeing-for-the-first-time-despite-my/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [When you take a child who's hollering like hell, sit him on your knee, and say "once upon a time", you stop him hollering.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/when-you-take-a-child-who-s-hollering-like-hell-sit-him-on-your-knee/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [I am here; and here is nowhere in particular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/i-am-here-and-here-is-nowhere-in-particular/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [The beast was harmless and horrible; and the news must reach the others as soon as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/the-beast-was-harmless-and-horrible-and-the-news-must-reach-the/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [“He tried to convey the compulsion to track down and kill that was swallowing him up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/he-tried-to-convey-the-compulsion-to-track-down-and-kill-that-was/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [I'm scared of him," said Piggy, "and that's why I know him. If you're scared of someone you hate him but you can't stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/i-m-scared-of-him-said-piggy-and-that-s-why-i-know-him-if-you-re/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [The trouble was, if you were a chief you had to think, you had to be wise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/the-trouble-was-if-you-were-a-chief-you-had-to-think-you-had-to-be/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [“But nobody else understands about the fire. If someone threw you a rope when you were drowning. If a doctor said take this because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/but-nobody-else-understands-about-the-fire-if-someone-threw-you-a/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [“I think women are foolish to pretend that they are equal to men, they are far superior and always have been.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/i-think-women-are-foolish-to-pretend-that-they-are-equal-to-men-they/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) [Explore all 263 William Golding quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) ## More Biographies quotes > [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/) [Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) > [The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-last-act-in-the-biography-of-the-hero-is-that-of-the-death-or/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [I have my own biography of Gram Parsons - I don't want to be part of somebody else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/i-have-my-own-biography-of-gram-parsons-i-don-t-want-to-be-part-of/) [Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/) > [Biographies of great, but especially of good men are most instructive and useful as helps, guides, and incentives to others. Some of the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/biographies-of-great-but-especially-of-good-men-are-most-instructive/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [All Philosophy is Biography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-carroll/all-philosophy-is-biography/) [Peter J. Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-carroll/) > [Life is a biography, not a series of disconnected moments, more or less pleasurable but increasingly tedious and unsatisfying unless one imposes a purposive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/life-is-a-biography-not-a-series-of-disconnected-moments-more-or-less/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [I hope any poem I've ever written could stand on its own and not need to be a part of biography, critical theory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/i-hope-any-poem-i-ve-ever-written-could-stand-on-its-own-and-not-need/) [Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/) > [The richly cadenced prose is hypnotic, the research prodigious, the analysis acute, the mood spellbinding, and the cast of characters mythic in scale. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/the-richly-cadenced-prose-is-hypnotic-the-research-prodigious-the/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [ I read so ravenously that I would read through whole categories. I was crazy about reading biographies. \[...\] I think biographies are very urgent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-read-so-ravenously-that-i-would-read-through-whole-categories-i-was/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I don't want to say that most rock bands live these formulaic biography existences - but they kinda do. There's always a divorce. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-grohl/i-don-t-want-to-say-that-most-rock-bands-live-these-formulaic/) [Dave Grohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-grohl/) > [Formerly Milton's Paradise Lost had been my chief favourite, and in my excursions during the voyage of the Beagle, when I could take only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/formerly-milton-s-paradise-lost-had-been-my-chief-favourite-and-in-my/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [On the other hand, when I give it closer thought, I realize I'm not enough of a dictator to conduct an orchestra because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eberhard-weber/on-the-other-hand-when-i-give-it-closer-thought-i-realize-i-m-not/) [Eberhard Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eberhard-weber/) > [It can be a long gap between the emergence of fully researched historical biographies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonia-fraser/it-can-be-a-long-gap-between-the-emergence-of-fully-researched/) [Antonia Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonia-fraser/) > [Always live your life with your biography in mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/always-live-your-life-with-your-biography-in-mind/) [Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/) [Browse all 587 Biographies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Biography always has fulfiled this role. Robinson Crusoe is a biography, as is Tom Jones. You can go through the whole range of the novel, and you will find it is biography. The only difference between one example and the other is that sometimes it's a partial biography and sometimes it's a total biography. Clarissa, for example, is a partial biography of Clarissa and a partial biography of Lovelace. In other words, it doesn't follow Lovelace from when he is in the cradle, though it takes him to the grave.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Golding" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/biography-always-has-fulfiled-this-role-robinson-crusoe-is-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Biographies" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/biography-always-has-fulfiled-this-role-robinson-crusoe-is-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54e/william-golding-1233_biographies_biography-always-has-fulfiled-this-role_1981847.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54e/william-golding-1233_biographies_biography-always-has-fulfiled-this-role_1981847.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54e/william-golding-1233_biographies_biography-always-has-fulfiled-this-role_1981847.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Biography always has fulfiled this role. Robinson Crusoe is a biography, as is Tom Jones. You can go through…” — William Golding", "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": "William Golding", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Biography always has fulfiled this role....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/biography-always-has-fulfiled-this-role-robinson-crusoe-is-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/biography-always-has-fulfiled-this-role-robinson-crusoe-is-a/#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 } } ] } ```