The whole purpose of literature... Is the notation of the heart. Style is but the faintly contemptible vessel in which the bitter liquid is recommended to the world.

Thornton Wilder

The Bridge on San Luis Rey

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More information about this quote

Topic

Purpose of literature

Author

Thornton Wilder

Source

The Bridge on San Luis Rey

Medium

Novel

Language

English

Time

1927 1920s 20th century

Occupation

Playwright Novelist Writer

From

United States

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Wilder, Thornton. The Bridge of San Luis Rey. Albert & Charles Boni, 1927.

Current Citation

Wilder, Thornton. The Bridge of San Luis Rey. Vintage, 2023.

Illustrated Quote

A quote by Thornton Wilder about purpose of literature: “The whole purpose of literature... Is the notation of the heart.”
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A quote by Thornton Wilder about purpose of literature: “The whole purpose of literature... Is the notation of the heart.”
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A quote by Thornton Wilder about purpose of literature: “The whole purpose of literature... Is the notation of the heart.”
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Another quote from the 1920s

The metaphor is probably the most fertile power possessed by man.

Jose Ortega y Gasset

More information about this quote
Topic
Language

Author

Jose Ortega y Gasset
Medium
Essay
Language
Spanish
Time
1925 1920s 20th century
Authentication Score 3
Original Citation

Ortega y Gasset, Jose. La deshumanización del Arte e Ideas sobre la novela [The Dehumanization of Art and Ideas about the Novel]. Revista de Occidente, 1925.

Current Citation

Ortega y Gasset, Jose. "The Dehumanization of Art." The Dehumanization of Art, and Other Essays on Art, Culture, and Literature, translated by Helene Weyl. Princeton University Press, 2019.