Many novelists take well-defined, precise characters, whose stories are sometimes of mediocre interest, and place them in an important historical context, which remains secondary in spite of everything.
This quote highlights a common literary approach where authors create detailed, well-drawn characters but often prioritize historical or contextual settings over the characters' own narratives. It suggests that, in many cases, the background or the historical milieu might overshadow the personal stories, perhaps implying that characters alone do not carry enough weight without a significant setting or that writers sometimes use historical context as a backdrop rather than the focal point. It invites reflection on the balance between character development and the importance of setting in storytelling, and whether the true essence of a novel lies more in its characters or its historical framework.
