"Literature adds to reality"

"Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become."
~ C. S. Lewis

5 Response to ""Literature adds to reality""

  1. Lesa says:
    June 1, 2011 at 9:58 AM

    What a perfect quote! Wonder if I can remember it the next time a nonbookworm asks why I read so much! hahahha

  2. Jen (@ Jens Book Closet) says:
    June 1, 2011 at 11:52 AM

    C.S. Lewis always has a way of saying things so eloquently. I loved that last line "...it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become." I'm in immense agreement with this particular statement and feel that books take the monotony from my life that I may otherwise feel. No matter how crazy life is, it still is better with a book.

    Jen
    In the Closet With a Bibliophile

  3. lisa :) says:
    June 4, 2011 at 11:36 PM

    Lesa - As much as I love quotes and as much as people tell me I have a great memory, I am horrible at memorizing quotations! Usually when I quote from memory it comes out as "That one guy said something like..." ;)

    Jen - That was my favorite line of the quote as well! I definitely find that reading refreshes me and the irrigation analogy is a great one. Also, perhaps I should use "No matter how crazy life is, it still is better with a book," as a future featured quote!

  4. Enbrethiliel says:
    June 5, 2011 at 2:00 PM

    +JMJ+

    Literature adds to reality . . .

    I wonder whether Lewis wrote this before or after his friend J.R.R. Tolkien told him off for calling myths "lies breathed through silver tubes." It was, of course, Tolkien who said that myth-making is a creative art--which means, you know, that it can add to reality. ;-)

  5. lisa :) says:
    June 7, 2011 at 11:29 AM

    Enbrethilial - Interesting insight into the Tolkien-Lewis relationship. I'll have to track down where and when this quote was from, but I would not be surprised if it was spawned by something JRRT said originally!

Post a Comment

I love reading, I love blogging, and I love comments! Please feel free to chime in on any post new or old, or if you have any overall feedback or something to say about this blog in general I'd love to hear that too! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and have a wonderful day!

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.