“I did ... learn an important distinction in graduate school: a speculation about who had syphilis when is gossip if it's about your friends, a plot element if it's about a character in a novel, and scholarship if it's about John Keats.” IfsImportantCharacterSchoolNovelElementsDistinctionPlotGossipGraduatesSpeculationScholarshipGraduate SchoolSyphilis Book:Second words: selected critical prose Source: Second words: selected critical prose
“I remember how surprised I was when my first novel was about to be published and I was informed that I could be sued for anything any one of my characters said. 'But I often don't agree with what they say,' I protested. The lawyer was not interested in the clear distinction I make between my own voice and the voices of my characters. Neither, I have found, are many of my readers.” FirstsSaidCharacterRememberFoundVoiceMy OwnNovelClearReaderAgreeLawyerDistinctionNot Interested Book:Outlander: Short Stories and Essays Source: Outlander: Short Stories and Essays
“Whether you look at Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism, wherever a distinction of sex is made, it is to the advantage of men. If you think of religions as if they were novels, the authors are men, and so are the major characters.” IfsThinkingMenLooksMadeCharacterSexChristianityNovelBuddhismMajorsAdvantageIslamMade ItDistinctionHinduismJudaism Author:Katha Pollitt