One can understand from the passage that creative writing is the most common form of communication
contains little factually correct information
requires less skill than other forms of writing
may provide information useful in research
may be found in certain reference books
The author tells us that novels try to hide the worst aspects of life
attempt to interpret life through art
can make people feel very depressed
are only read by artistically-minded people
let us experience the extraordinary things in life
One point that John Cheever's quote illustrates is that creative writing can be very informative
he is not really a terribly creative writer
biography is generally better than fiction
it's difficult to find meaning in creative writing
creative writing involves the writer personally
102 THE FIRST RENAISSANCE MAN The term Renaissance man was coined to describe the genius of Leonardo da Vinci. He was a man of so many accomplishments in so many areas of human endeavour that his like has rarely been seen in human history. Casual patrons of the arts know him as the painter of "La Gioconda" - more commonly called the "Mona Lisa" - and of the exquisite "Last Supper", which is painted on the wall of the dining hall in a monastery in Milan. These paintings alone would have assured him enduring fame as an artist, but they should not obscure the fact that he was also a sculptor, an architect, and a man of science who did serious investigations into the natural and physical sciences, mathematics, mechanics, and engineering. More than 300 years before flying machines were perfected, Leonardo had devised plans for prototypes of an airplane and a helicopter. His extensive studies of human anatomy were portrayed in anatomical drawings, which were among the most significant achievements of Renaissance science. His remarkable illustrations of the human body elevated drawing into a means of scientific investigation and exposition, and provided the basic principles for modern scientific illustration.
