Jennifer Egan Real Quotations

The pause makes you think the song will end. And then the song isn't really over, so you're relieved. But then the song does actually end, because every song ends, obviously, and THAT. TIME. THE. END. IS. FOR. REAL.

Rebecca was an academic star. Her new book was on the phenomenon of word casings, a term she'd invented for words that no longer had meaning outside quotation marks. English was full of these empty words--"friend" and "real" and "story" and "change"--words that had been shucked of their meanings and reduced to husks. Some, like "identity" and "search" and "cloud," had clearly been drained of life by their Web usage. With others, the reasons were more complex; how had "American" become an ironic term? How had "democracy" come to be used in an arch, mocking way?

When does a fake Mohawk become a real Mohawk? Who decides? How do you know if it's happened?

I can't tell if she's actually real, or if she's stopped caring if she's real or not. Or is not caring what makes a person real?

...real computers scared me; if you can find Them, then They can find you...

I guess it's always romantic when two people fall in love.... Even if it turns out not to be real.