"The answers you get from literature depend on the questions you pose"
- Margaret Atwood
About this Quote
This quote by Margaret Atwood speaks to the concept that literature is an effective tool for understanding the world around us. It recommends that the responses we obtain from literature depend upon the concerns we ask. Simply put, the method we interpret literature is based on the concerns we give it. This implies that literature can be utilized to explore a variety of topics, from the individual to the political. It likewise indicates that the exact same text can be translated in a different way depending upon the concerns we ask. Ultimately, this quote motivates us to believe seriously about the questions we present when engaging with literature, as the responses we get will depend on them.
"A lawyer without history or literature is a mechanic, a mere working mason; if he possesses some knowledge of these, he may venture to call himself an architect"