I believe in copyright, within limited precincts. But I also believe in fair use, public domain, and especially transformation. David Shields More Quotes by David Shields More Quotes From David Shields Anything processed by memory is fiction. David Shields memoriesfiction Everything I write, I believe instinctively, is to some extent collage. Meaning, ultimately, is a matter of adjacent data. David Shields datawritingbelieve A book should either allow us to escape existence or teach us how to endure it. David Shields existenceshouldbook I don’t know what’s the matter with me, why I’m so adept at distance, why I feel so remote from things, why life feels like a rumor. David Shields rumordistancematter Thomas Jefferson went through the New Testament and removed all the miracles, leaving only the teachings. Take a source, extract what appeals to you, discard the rest. Such an act of editorship is bound to reflect something of the individual doing the editing: a plaster cast of an aesthetic-not the actual thing, but the imprint of it. David Shields miracleteachingediting The absence of plot leaves the reader room to think about other things. David Shields plotroomsthinking If I'm reading a book and it seems truly interesting, I tend to start reading back to front in order not to be too deeply under the sway of progress. David Shields readingorderbook Nonfiction, qua label, is nothing more or less than a very flexible (easily breakable) frame that allows you to pull the thing away from narrative and toward contemplation, which is all I've ever wanted. David Shields nonfictionlabelsnarrative To me, the moment you're talking about nonfiction you're talking about reality. David Shields nonfictiontalkingreality Our culture is obsessed with real events because we experience hardly any. David Shields eventsrealculture My medium is prose, not the novel. David Shields prosemediumsnovel With relatively few exceptions, the novel sacrifices too much, for me, on the altar of plot. David Shields sacrificeplottoo-much Momentum, in literary mosaic, derives not from narrative but from the subtle, progressive buildup of thematic resonances. David Shields mosaicsmomentumnarrative Genre is a minimum security prison. David Shields genre-isminimumprison Resolution and conclusion are inherent in a plot-driven narrative. David Shields resolutionnarrativeplot I'm not interested in collage as the refuge of the composition-ally disabled. I'm interested in collage as (to be honest) an evolution beyond narrative. David Shields allieshonestnarrative The novel is dead. Long live the antinovel, built from scraps. David Shields scrapnovellong I take literature as a really serious human activity. It's not just a playful thing. It can be hilarious and wonderful and performative, but I think it's really serious. David Shields seriousliteraturethinking In my own little way, I feel like I'm part of a group of writers who care deeply about pushing the essay forward. David Shields carelittlesway The beauty of reality-based art - art underwritten by reality hunger - is that it's perfectly situated between life itself and (unattainable) "life as art". David Shields poetryrealityart
