Quote by Saul Bellow
The fact that there are so many weak, poor and boring stories and novels written and published in America has been ascribed by our rebels to the horrible squareness of our institutions, the idiocy of power, the debasement of sexual instincts, and the failure of writers to be alienated enough. The poems and novels of these same rebellious spirits, and their theoretical statements, are grimy and gritty and very boring too, besides being nonsensical, and it is evident by now that polymorphous sexuality and vehement declarations of alienation are not going to produce great works of art either.
Summary
This quote criticizes the perception that weak, poor, and uninteresting stories and novels in America are a result of societal institutions and inhibited creativity. The quote suggests that rebels attribute this lackluster writing to the supposed squareness of American institutions, the ignorance of those in power, the suppression of sexual desires, and the failure of writers to embrace alienation. However, the quote opines that these rebels themselves produce equally mundane, incoherent, and tedious works, proving that excessive emphasis on alternative sexuality and declarations of alienation alone cannot produce great art.
Topics
Poetry
By Saul Bellow
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