Fourteen years in the professor dodge has taught me that one can argue ingeniously on behalf of any theory, applied to any piece of literature. This is rarely harmful, because normally no-one reads such essays.

The key to growing up well, is being tough enough.

Joan organizes our social life, and on weekends I follow her around.

Both our opinions are rooted in our experience," I said. "Both of them are true, it's just that we've had different experiences.

It's tempting to say the Ph.D. didn't have an effect, but it's not so. I think whatever resonance I may be able to achieve is in part simply from the amount of reading and learning that I acquired along the way

This was 1954, friends. The girls' dorm was off limits. Even to girls, I think.

I had achieved the most important things in my life when I married Joan and had the sons. Given the choice between Joan and the boys, and being a writer, I world give up being a writer without a blink.