Books and persons : autograph manuscript signed : St. Cast, 1929 August 3.

Setting forth his views on Dickens and Sterne and the importance of readers making up their minds on books they have read or will read without depending on the opinions of literary critics; saying "What concerns me today is the judgment of readers on whatever books they do happen to read. My good resolution may be thus phrased: 'I will form my own opinions of the books I read, and I will not accept in advance the opinions of other people.' [This seems easy enough. Most readers will explain: 'But I do form my own opinions.' To which I would reply: 'If you do form your own opinions, unprejudiced by what you have seen in print or heard, you are a somewhat exceptional person, and I remove my hat to you as to a superior being." The truth is that very few readers form their own opinions about books. To do so is exceedingly difficult. As with politics, so with books, the majority of the citizens are far too inclined to believe what they are told, and to think what they think they ought to think;" expressing his opinion on literary classics and his dislike of Dickens and Sterne; saying "Take the classics of English literature...any nice-minded reader who picks up a classic is convinced before hand that he ought to like it, and that if he does not like it he is a barbarian and a savage without taste. Therefore, whether he truly likes it or not, he tries earnestly to persuade himself that he does like it...Besides, the classics are not sacred. They are not fixed for ever and ever in the firmament...If you don't really enjoy a book you don't; and there's no more to be said...Classics are made and unmade by the expression of honest individual opinions and of nothing else. [For myself I have done, and still am doing, my best to destroy the classicality of Dickens. And a rare lot of trouble I have brought upon myself thereby!...Ninety percent of Dickens bores me. I can't help it. I won't hide it. And I have the satisfaction of perceiving that more and more people are siding with me;" continuing on to a discussion of Sterne and Tristam Shandy and saying "I find the bulk of Tristam Shandy tedious. And I should love to know what percentage of the readers of Tristam Shandy honestly revel in it as they are supposed to do;" discussing the difficulties in judging a modern book rather than a classic..."When everybody is chattering about a book and saying what a wonderful book it is, 'everybody else' is moved not only to read it, but to believe that it must be good even before the first page has been perused...The verdict indeed precedes the trial...Further, a certain percentage of readers, even if they go so far as to read a very popular book, read it with a determination not to like it. And the natural result is that they generally succeed in not liking it. I am quite ready to admit in my own case that the praise of some critics, or the dispraise of others, has the effect of prejudicing me against or for a book. I say to myself: 'X has given frequent proof of bad taste. X likes this book. Therefore this book is bad." or the reverse. In such grossly unfair mood do I sometimes begin."