I think I succeeded as a writer because I did not come out of an English department. I used to write in the chemistry department. And I wrote some good stuff. If I had been in the English department, the prof would have looked at my short stories, congratulated me on my talent, and then showed me how Joyce or Hemingway handled the same elements of the short story. The prof would have placed me in competition with the greatest writers of all time, and that would have ended my writing career.

Summary

The quote suggests that the author believes their success as a writer stemmed from not being confined within the traditional guidelines and expectations of an English department. By writing outside of their field, in this case, the chemistry department, they were able to develop their own unique style and approach. The author implies that had they been in an English department, they would have been compared to literary giants like Joyce or Hemingway, which could have limited their creativity and hindered their writing career.

Topics