“ [Referring to passage by Alice Munro] Finally, the passage contradicts a form of bad advice often given young writers -- namely, that the job of the author is to show, not tell. Needless to say, many… Francine Prose
“ …what matters is not complexity or decoration but rather intelligibility, grace, and the fact that the sentence should strike us as the perfect vehicle for expressing what it aims to express… Francine Prose
“ Reading Chekhov, I felt not happy, exactly, but as close to happiness as I knew I was likely to come. And it occurred to me that this was the pleasure and mystery of reading, as well as the answer to… Francine Prose
“ Reader, I married him.It turned out the sounds I heard coming from the attic weren't the screams of Mr Rochester's mad wife Bertha. It wasn't the wife who burned to death in the fire that destroyed Th… Francine Prose
“ I wanted to know what he thought about my loving a man whose bills were being paid by another woman. Francine Prose
“ A woman would have to be crazy to marry, or even have sex with, a man who would prosecute every lover’s quarrel like a criminal case Francine Prose
“ Like seeing a photograph of yourself as a child, encountering handwriting that you know was once yours but that now seems only dimly familiar can inspire a confrontation with the mystery of time. Francine Prose
“ Isolated in the attic, Anne could only examine her own history and her own conscience, and try to locate the wellspring of her sadness and her rage. Francine Prose
“ I know a lot of Eastern Europeans, and because of what they have been through and what they have seen, they have an attitude where they are not easily fooled. Francine Prose
“ She emerges from the station directly across from the restaurant. And she's right on time. Like magic, Sonya thinks, briefly saddened to realize that this is what magic means now: not being late, not… Francine Prose
“ And there was that trick he did with time, making it speed up when we were together and drag til I saw him again. Francine Prose
“ Love is blooming on the riverbanks, in the alleys of Montmartre. Park benches exist for lovers exhausted by excessive kissing. Francine Prose
“ I see the eight of us within our Secret Annex as if we were a little piece of blue heaven, surrounded by black, black rain clouds. The round, clearly defined spot where we stand is still safe, but the… Francine Prose
“ Yes to it all. I had become a puppy that stands on its hind legs and barks when its master fetches its leash. Francine Prose
“ Throughout her life, she behaved as if she had never heard anyone suggest that a woman couldn't do entirely as she pleased. Francine Prose
“ There are many occasions in literature in which telling is far more effective than showing. Francine Prose
“ Hemingway should have stayed in the Midwest. He ruined things for the rest of us, telling all those lies. The lie about courage, the lie about every red-blooded male needing to kill a bull or climb Mo… Francine Prose
