Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Charles Kingsley

Quote by Charles Kingsley

Work

The Water Babies

This novel, originally published in 1863, is a whimsical tale that follows the journey of Tom, a foundling who is transformed into a water baby. The story takes readers through a series of fantastical encounters and moral lessons, ultimately culminating in Tom's quest for a better life and his transformation into a human being. more

Author

Charles Kingsley
Charles Kingsley

Charles Kingsley was a British professor, born on June 12, 1819, and died on January 23, 1875. He is known for his contributions to literature and education. more

You May Also Like

“I personally believe the role of poets as poets (which is something different from our obligations as citizens, community members, humans) is to write poems. I believe this because I am quite sure poetry can do something no other form or writing, or human activity, can, at least not in such a powerful and distilled and undeniable way. And that we need this type of thinking for our survival as individuals and as a species.”

“What draws me to family... if I were a psychiatrist, I'd say an enormous amount of unresolved personal material. If I were an anthropologist, I'd say families are at the root of social structures - they shape our identity, our belief systems - and so I find them fascinating. Also, I love the idea that families have narratives that are essentially the family story that is passed along generation to generation - and the rifts start when people question the story.”

“I really don't watch enough TV to know about the impact. In my experience as a TV writer, I would say is the exact opposite - it's very constricted, all having to conform to a form. My sense of fiction writing is not to think about rules but to be driven by the characters and their stories. I often ask myself what's at risk here, who needs what, and how are they going to get it. There has to be a reason for the reader to stop living their own life and start reading your book.”

“I thought a lot about Nixon's personal history and the changes in America during his lifetime and tried to craft stories, which I thought reflected some of his personal history but also the backdrop of a changing America. Nixon grew up in a strict Quaker family. The idea of the American Dream, of hard work and not much fun, was ingrained in Nixon as a child, but curiously so was a love of music. Nixon himself was a pretty good piano player. So it's the contradictions that interest me, as I think we all have them.”