The winters in Central Asia are piercing and bleak, while the sweating, foetid summers bring cholera, dysentery and mosquitoes ...
-- Narrator (N/A paragraph 1)

Importance: This is the first sentence of the story. It is important because it sets a negative tone from the beginning of the story. Later, Carter shifts this tone into a more positive one.

They walk as purposefully as if they did not live in an imaginary city.
-- Narrator (N/A paragraph 4)

Importance: This quote is important because it introduces the fantastical theme of the story. Until this point, Carter has described the city without hinting at the fact that it may be a fantasy. This quote suggests that the people are in a fantasy, but they pretend they are in reality.

The market has a sharp, green smell.
-- Narrator (N/A paragraph 2)

Importance: This quote highlights Carter's use of color to create imagery. Colors are not associated with smells, so using a color to describe a smell creates a more memorable...