What really fascinates me is this need that is so strong now that if you read a work of the imagination you instantly have to say, 'Oh, what this really is is so-and-so,' reducing it to a simple formula.

The quote "What really fascinates me is this need that is so strong now that if you read a work of the imagination you instantly have to say, 'Oh, what this really is is so-and-so,' reducing it to a simple formula" by Doris Lessing critiques a contemporary trend in which people feel compelled to oversimplify or categorize creative works. Lessing is fascinated by how readers or critics feel the need to reduce complex works of the imagination to easily digestible labels or formulas, often at the expense of the richness and depth of the original work. She points out how this tendency limits the potential for understanding and appreciating the complexities of art and literature.

Lessing’s frustration lies in how works of the imagination—which are meant to be open to interpretation—are often confined to rigid categories or reductive labels. She believes that this urge to immediately classify and simplify is a disservice to both the creator and the audience, as it dismisses the nuance and creativity involved in the work. Instead of exploring the layers of meaning in a piece, readers or critics often rush to define it in narrow, predefined terms.

The reference to reducing imaginative works to a "simple formula" highlights the danger of oversimplification in the interpretation of art. Imagination thrives on ambiguity, complexity, and emotional depth, but when art is forced into a formulaic structure, it loses the power to inspire deep thought or personal reflection. Lessing seems to argue that by doing this, we limit the ways in which art can connect with us and the various interpretations it can provoke.

Ultimately, the quote speaks to Doris Lessing’s belief in the importance of preserving the complexity and mystery of creative works. She values the expansive nature of imagination and warns against the tendency to confine it to easily understandable labels or formulas, urging us to engage more deeply with the art we encounter.