1797 quotes by critics for you to enjoy

English dramatic literature is, of course, dominated by Shakespeare; and it is almost inevitable that an English reader should measure the value of other poetic drama by the standards which Shakespeare has already implanted in his mind. Lytton Strachey

Mind Value Inevitable Other Drama Dramatic Shakespeare Poetic Almost Reader Course His Dominated Literature Which Should Measure Standards English

We believed that to understand literature, you had to understand its place in history and culture. M. H. Abrams

History You Culture Had Understand Literature Place Believed

John Updike is always fun. And one of my former students, Tom Pynchon. And Harold Bloom, another former student. M. H. Abrams

Harold John Student Students Another Always Bloom Former Fun Tom

Hard work makes easy reading or, at least, easier reading. M. H. Abrams

Work Hard Work Reading Easier Easy Easy Reading Makes Least Hard

We worked on solving the problem of voice communications in a noisy military environment. We established military codes that are highly audible and invented selection tests for personnel who had a superior ability to recognize sound in a noisy background. M. H. Abrams

Problem Superior Military Background Recognize Ability Solving Invented Voice Selection Had Environment Highly Noisy Sound Tests Established Personnel Worked Communications Who Codes

When something startlingly new comes up, young people, especially, seize it. You can't complain about that. I think its heyday has passed, but it's had an effect and will continue to have an effect. M. H. Abrams

You People Will Young Think Complain Heyday About Something Seize Had New Passed Continue Effect Up Young People

Talent is what you possess; genius is what possesses you. Malcolm Cowley

You Genius Possess Possesses Talent

Age is not different from earlier life as long as you're sitting down. Malcolm Cowley

Life You Age Long Down Sitting Different Earlier

The especial genius of women I believe to be electrical in movement, intuitive in function, spiritual in tendency. Margaret Fuller

Spiritual Women Genius Believe Intuitive Tendency Movement Electrical Function

Would that the simple maxim, that honesty is the best policy, might be laid to heart; that a sense of the true aim of life might elevate the tone of politics and trade till public and private honor become identical. Margaret Fuller

Life Politics Best Heart Honesty Honesty Is Simple Honor Become Sense Aim Would True Identical Policy Trade Till Private Maxim The Best Policy Laid Public Might Elevate Tone

I am suffocated and lost when I have not the bright feeling of progression. Margaret Fuller

Feeling Lost Progression Am Bright Suffocated

For precocity some great price is always demanded sooner or later in life. Margaret Fuller

Life Great Later Some Price Sooner Sooner Or Later Demanded Always

In many ways, everything about my upbringing decreed that I wouldn't write a memoir because in the world where I grew up, in Chicago in the Fifties and Sixties, one key way of protesting ourselves - 'we' meaning black people - against racism, against its stereotypes and its insults, was to curate and narrate very carefully the story of the people. Margo Jefferson

Racism People World Key Black Carefully Everything Way Ways Ourselves Memoir About Write Stereotypes Because Protesting Insults Chicago Up Very Curate Upbringing Sixties Where Grew Story Against Meaning Fifties Many

As a little girl in the '50s, I couldn't wear a purple-and-white flowered skirt with a red blouse - those colors were too loud. My parents were not into that 'We are Negros that wear all beige,' but there was a line you could walk over that could signal vulgar, crass, rather than clever use of color. And that outfit crossed over the line. Margo Jefferson

You Walk Girl Parents Clever Too Those Signal Wear Outfit Crossed Rather Color Could Colors Red Over Vulgar Line Were Loud Than Little Little Girl Use Skirt

Even criticism is more interesting when the writer's authority does not only come through this omniscient narrator, but through questions, ambivalence, vulnerability. A mind questioning and on the move, not just settling down and declaring - that's one of the most interesting possibilities. Margo Jefferson

Mind Criticism Down Omniscient Settling Possibilities More Only Through Writer Come Most Vulnerability Does Narrator Questioning Questions Ambivalence Authority Move Just Interesting Declaring Even

The burden of being a constant symbol, of having to live up to a symbol of advancement, of progress, of being perfect in some way and always representing the destiny of an entire people - that is supposed to be invincibility. That's enormous. Margo Jefferson

People Progress Burden Live Enormous Way Destiny Constant Some Entire Having Perfect Advancement Supposed Always Up Representing Being Symbol

I would certainly say that my life, and perhaps human life in general, follows an intricate pattern of defining, declaring, struggling for, fighting for what we think of and treasure as the self. The inviolate self. This begins with our families: your parents are part of your cultural landscape, and they are also shaped by larger forces than them. Margo Jefferson

Life My Life Parents Fighting Think Our Say Defining Intricate Would Follows General Struggling Shaped Self Part Perhaps Also Forces Cultural Families Than Begins Human Pattern Them Declaring Landscape Human Life Your Certainly Larger Treasure

Noir is a court of human relations, and some crimes are beyond legal restitution. Margo Jefferson

Legal Relations Crimes Some Noir Beyond Court Human Human Relations

My mother was not happy with the Afros that my friends and I emerged with - there's that crack in the book of 'Why, if a fly landed in there, he'd break his little wings trying to get out.' I was not pure dashiki, though - I was a combination of African dresses, miniskirts, tank tops, shawls, ethnic-looking earrings, sandals. Margo Jefferson

Happy Book Mother Fly Pure Earrings Though Tops Out Dresses Emerged Wings He Combination Tank His Friends Crack Get Trying African Break Little Landed Why

You were not supposed to show off in Negroland because you are supposed to be perfectly decorous and well behaved. You were also not supposed to tell any stories that reflected badly on the group because that reflected badly on the race. I use past tense, but it still feels like present tense. Margo Jefferson

You Past Show Off Group Tell Badly Tense Perfectly Feels Like Supposed Also Well Because Still Were Off Reflected Behaved Any Stories Race Use Show Present Present Tense

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