Literature was not born the day when a boy crying "wolf, wolf" came running out of the Neanderthal valley with a big gray wolf at his heels; literature was born on the day when a boy came crying "wolf, wolf" and there was no wolf behind him.

Vladimir Nabokov
About This Quote

The boy who cried wolf was a trickster, a liar, and a thief. He was thought to be unreliable and unreliable people were not believed. This boy made other people believe that there was a wolf behind him. This boy took advantage of other people being afraid of the unknown by making them fear for their lives.

Literature does not have to be born on the day when someone cries “wolf” to be good literature. There are many types of stories that are good. They are just as good as stories about dragons, wizards, or anything else you can imagine.

The best kind of literature is the kind that makes you think about what you read even after you have finished reading it.

Source: Lectures On Literature

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