Two People Making Love, She Once Said,

Ruefulness Is One Of The Classical Tones Of American Fiction. It Fosters A Native, Deglamorized Form Of Anxiety.

There Are Few Things More Subtly Distressing Than An Inappropriate Gift From Someone Close To You.

An Aphorism Is A Generalization Of Sorts, And Our Present-day Writers Seem More At Home With The Particular.

To Choose A Writer For A Friend Is Like Palling Around With Your Cardiologist, Who Might Be Musing As You Talk To Him That You Are A Sinking Man. A Writer's Love For Another Writer Is Never Quite Free Of Malice. He May Enjoy Discussing Your Failures Even More Than You Do. He Probably Sees You As Tragic, Like His Characters - Or Unworthy Of Tragedy, Which Is Worse.

Aphorisms Are Bad For Novels. They Stick In The Reader's Teeth.