[Captain Jack Aubrey]

"Ummm, not that I support him, but they're NOVELS."

So? You think novels write themselves?

[Maelstorm]

What if he was a pornographer? Would they say they are just pictures?

[vollmond]

I discussed this with my wife this morning. They're novels, and he wrote about bad people doing bad things. That gives him a pass - as a novel writer. Webb's running for the Senate, though, and he has to address this in that context.

But it also reminds people of the cultural divide, and the erosion of decency in our culture. The louder the defense of this "literature" gets, the more nation-wide impact it will have. Not enough to turn losers into winners, but enough to break ties.

[Anima Mundi]

Maybe I am "misremembering" but I think Mark Furhman was discredited and maligned because of the things he discussed about a novel he was writing or proposing to write. It seemed very important to folks at that time. Anybody remember this more clearly?