Just out of curiosity, what does the quote bring to mind when you don't know what the essay is about?
Okay, so that was one of my questions - are we assuming that people would go and read the essay. You're assuming they would. I think I'd assume they wouldn't. So that would explain our different views of the quote's usefulness.
No, I assume they would look for the essay only if it interested them. For others, they'd ignore the quote. I certainly ignore most quotes, and many I don't get the story connection but I'm not interested enough to try to figure it out. But someday when my novel is famous, SparkNotes will explain the quote's symbolism to readers.
I haven't read all the responses, so forgive me if I'm repetitive, but I think a mysterious quote is fine. If someone doesn't understand it, he or she will likely just ignore it. But for those who do get it (even if they don't get it until the end of the story or upon a re-reading), they'll think it's really cool.
OMG, GingerCoffee, SAVE YOURSELF!!! Don't go to TV Tropes! You will be caught in their sticky web of links and waste hours, days, possibly your whole life clicking and reading, clicking and reading... It's a nightmare!
I know what TV Tropes are. I was asking how it related to the conversation. On another note, looking into the Wiki entry on epigraphs led me to look for Orwell's 1984. That led me to claims the following is an Orwell quote: “In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”This quote with slight variations is attributed to Orwell in website after website. But like several famous quotes, when you try to find the source, it turns out it may not be in any of Orwell's works. Quote Investigator This kind of find fascinates me. I like the quote as well.
TVTropes ruined my life. I mentioned it here because, despite its name, it is not only about TV; it is about tropes, symbolism, etc. that appear in any work of fiction (and even some in real history).
Doesn't matter what we think; TVTropes has got it covered. (Again, the name of the website does not nearly represent everything the website stands for.)
I remember this one: The curtains were blue. Reminds me of that "Old Man and the Sea" class assignment. Cool, there's a lot in faux symbolism that would be relevant except, my symbolism isn't fake or contrived. The quote is actually meaningful to me.
In abstract terms, I think of there being two (or more) types of a certain thing. One of these types is so ubiquitous that there are no examples of the other types. Thus, one can't write about, or even understand, these other types. This applies to many things, but as an example, consider a government where all of the politicians lie. It's then impossible to find an honest politician in that group.
OK, it's pretentious to quote myself...but having read the above discussion on symbolism, I get the feeling that Mr. Author is here saying that he doesn't care if he breaks the contract, if you, stupid Mr. Reader, aren't well enough read to get an obscure reference.
But the metaphor can't BE clarified, because without reading the article the quote doesn't make any sense.
Llamas = politicians. Cannibalistic llamas = lying politicians. Llamas who aren't cannibals = honest politicians. Does that clear things up?
No, that's not what Ms Author is saying at all. If the contract is broken I haven't done my job as an author.
I see. But the llamas are not symbolic of a different 'thing'. A closer analogy is the Emperor's new clothes: All those fancy dressed up emperors, it makes it hard to write about naked emperors.
But you're still critiquing his interpretation, despite the fact that you were asking him to interpret something that he does not have the knowledge to properly understand.
