“The ability of writers to imagine what is not the self, to familiarize the strange and mystify the familiar, is the test of their power”
— Toni Morrison
Copied to clipboard
Simplified Meaning:
Good writers can make us see things in a new way. They can take something we do not know well and make it feel more familiar, like when someone describes a foreign culture so clearly that it feels like we are there. At the same time, they can take something we know very well, like our daily routine, and show it to us from a fresh perspective, making us think about it differently. This talent shows how strong a writer is. For example, a book might make us feel like we’re experiencing the life of a historical figure, even though we’ve never lived in that time. Or a story might make us see the complexity of a simple walk in the park. Good writers help us grow by making us understand more about the world and ourselves.
FEATURED QUOTES
