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

—  Henry James

Variant text: The only reason for the existence of a novel is that it does compete with life.
The Art of Fiction http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/artfiction.html (1884)

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Henry James 154
American novelist, short story author, and literary critic 1843–1916

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