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The only reason for the existence of a novel is that it does attempt to represent life.

— Henry James The Art of Fiction (1884)

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Variants

text: The only reason for the existence of a novel is that it does compete with life.

More quotes by Henry James

The superiority of one man's opinion over another's is never so great as when the opinion is about a woman.

The Tragic Muse (1890)

It takes a great deal of history to produce a little literature.

Hawthorne (1879)

The time-honored bread-sauce of the happy ending.

Theatricals: Second Series (1895)

The right time is any time that one is still so lucky as to have.

The Ambassadors (1903)

She gave an envious thought to the happier lot of men, who are always free to plunge into the healing waters of action.

The Portrait of a Lady (1881)

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Henry James (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.