It's not something one has occasion to do very often, but I did feel a twinge of pity for her when I read this rejection letter. Read this first if you've never read any of her writing.
This reminds me of Flannery O'Connor in one of her letters, dismissing the work of some avant-garde writer: "If it looks funny on the page I don't read it."
I love it. I don’t feel sorry for her at all. First of all, it’s a justifiable response to her writing. Second, it does her the honour of imitating her. I hope, for her sake, that she laughed at it.
Yes, it was only a twinge of pity. I don’t know enough about her to know if she would have laughed or not. It would be a shame if she didn’t.
Not wanting to sound philistinish, but I’ve never really understood why her name is so well known, when her work is so tedious.
“Tedious” or just “crappy”?
I think her association with Hemingway is the main reason for her fame. It’s my impression, though not a very informed one, that she isn’t read very much even among the literati.
Can anyone tell me where that great Flannery remark is, in the letters? I need to mark it!
I don’t know, and I didn’t have the book at hand to search for it when I did that post. I think it was in the context of a discussion of a specific writer and a browse through the index might jog my memory. I’ll try it tonight.
Light On Dark Water 
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