"A novel is balanced between a few true impressions and the multitude of false ones that make up most of what we call life"

This quote by Saul Bellow speaks to the power of literature to catch the essence of life. He recommends that a novel has the ability to catch the couple of real impressions that make up life, while also conveying the multitude of false impressions that make up the majority of our lives. Bellow is recommending that literature is able to capture the intricacy of life, both the reality and the fallacies, which it has the ability to do so in a manner that is balanced and meaningful. He is suggesting that literature has the ability to capture the nuances of life, and that it is able to communicate the reality of life in such a way that is both meaningful and effective. In this method, literature has the ability to capture the essence of life in such a way that is both significant and effective.