Everyone is told to write about what he knows. The problem for many of us is that in youth we believe we know everything or, to put it in a more useful way, we often do not know the scope and structure of our ignorance, which is not just a blank space on the mental map of A person, but has contours and coherence and, from what I know, also has its norms.
In "Slow Learner: Early Stories," Thomas Pynchon reflects on the challenge of writing from personal knowledge. He suggests that in our youth, we often overestimate our understanding and lack awareness of the limitations of our knowledge. This sense of knowing everything can hinder a writer's ability to create meaningful work, as true depth comes from recognizing the complexities and boundaries of what we don't know.
Pynchon emphasizes that ignorance is not merely an absence of knowledge but has its own structure and rules. This insight implies that a deeper comprehension of these limitations can lead to growth and authenticity in creative expression. Acknowledging our ignorance allows us to explore topics more thoughtfully and reveals the richness behind what we have yet to learn.
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All the things you can talk about in anyone's work are the things that are least important.
Race of Cain, ascend to heaven, And cast God down upon the earth!
