“Educating a son I should allow him no fairy tales and only a very few novels. This is to prevent him from having 1. the sense of romantic solitude (if he is worth anything he will develop a proper and useful solitude) which identification with the hero gives. 2. cant ideas of right and wrong, absurd systems of honor and morality which never will he be able completely to get rid of, 3. the attainment of ''ideals',' of a priori desires, of a priori emotions. He should amuse himself with fact only: he will then not learn that if the weak younger son do or do not the magical honorable thing he will win the princess with hair like flax.”
Lionel Trilling
“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”
C.S. Lewis
“By its very nature, the novel indicates that we are becoming. There is no final solution. There is no last word.”
Carlos Fuentes
“Where no wood is, the fire goes out; so where there is no tale bearer, the strife ceaseth.”
Bible
“There are no laws for the novel. There never have been, nor can there ever be.”
Doris Lessing
“The tale of the zombie consumer continues, ... There is no stopping him or her: Can't shoot 'em, stab 'em, or keep 'em away from the stores with garlic -- especially with post-season sales in progress.”
Robert Brusca
“The threads can always be traced back to some earlier tale, and to the tales that preceded that; though as the narrator's voice recedes the connections will seem to grow more tenuous, for each age will want the tale told as if it were of its own making.”
Clive Barker
