By Nancy Snyder | On April 9, 2021 | Updated August 27, 2022 | Comments (1)
To contemplate a quote, or a line from one of Susan Sontag’s (1930 – 2004) many essays or novels, will invariably have the reader pause and read the line or paragraph again. Quotes by Susan Sontag have the capability to change the reader’s perception about how we view our lives — especially in regards to art and our own cultural limitations and vanities.
My own literary daydream has been to visit a bookstore, most likely The Strand on Broadway and 12th Street in New York City, and Sontag would be my guide as we strolled the aisles.
Sontag’s commitment to literature and art has made an imprint on my life. In my daydream, Sontag would be the one doing all of the talking — I could only contribute my appreciation with a nodding of my head. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On October 2, 2020 | Updated March 9, 2023 | Comments (0)
Silent Spring (1962) is the best-known work by Rachel Carson (1907 – 1964), noted American marine biologist and environmental trailblazer. The following selection of quotes from Silent Spring is a passionate argument for protecting the environment from manmade pesticides.
A work of nonfiction by Carson, the book is a gracefully written indictment of the pesticide industry that arose in the late 1950s. It presents a piercing look at the damage these chemicals cause to birds, bees, wildlife, and plant life. Read More→
By Norma Brickner | On July 1, 2020 | Updated February 24, 2024 | Comments (0)
Toni Morrison (1931 – 2019), the American novelist, editor, and essayist is remembered for her powerful novels exploring the African American experience. Following is a selection of powerful quotes from Beloved, her Pulitzer Prize-winning 1987 novel.
Morrison based Beloved on a historic incident. In 1856, an enslaved female escaped and crossed the Ohio river from Kentucky into Ohio to seek freedom.
Instead, she was captured, and killed her child so she wouldn’t have to be returned to enslavement. Similarly, Sethe, the protagonist of the novel, kills her baby, who she calls Beloved, and is ever after haunted by her ghost. Read More→
By Norma Brickner | On June 26, 2020 | Updated June 30, 2020 | Comments (1)
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s impactful novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852), was the first ever to be an international best-seller. More than 1.5 million copies of the anti-slavery novel were sold worldwide during its first year of release in 1852. Following is a selection of quotes from Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which isn’t always considered great literature, but is credited for helping to turn public opinion against slavery.
The novel helped fuel the anti-slavery movement, and is thought to have changed the course of history as well the publication business. No other book sold as many copies in the 19th century, other than the Bible.
Stowe’s astounding success with novel affected the fight for the abolition of slavery and displayed her fearlessness by writing on this subject in a white-dominated world. Read More→
By Marcie McCauley | On May 21, 2020 | Updated August 25, 2022 | Comments (0)
Elizabeth Taylor (1912 – 1975) knew from a young age that she wanted to be a novelist — to be clear, this isn’t in reference to the renowned actress, but to the prolific British author. In the following selection of quotes from Elizabeth Taylor’s fiction, we get a glimpse of her literary gifts.
Her first novel, At Mrs Lippincote’s, was published in 1945. Here, Roddy, an RAF officer has been stationed in a small town in southern England and, now, his wife and son and cousin have joined him in what used to be Mrs Lippincote’s house. Mr and Mrs Lippincote have died, but the Davenant family is building a life together. Read More→
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