Literature is about ideas intermingled with feelings;
these are attached to beings we come to care about.
Most writers write so that readers have conversations
about the ideas and feelings they’ve put in their writing.
It’s possible and sometimes interesting
It’s possible and sometimes interesting
to talk at great length about HOW
the writing gets us to have these ideas and feelings
(or the ideas and feelings we are supposed to have!)
but if we do the HOW
but if we do the HOW
and leave out the ideas and feelings themselves,
we can end up saying, in effect,
that ‘technique’ is more important than values.
