(no subject)
on homosexuality and sex; Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein:
"Those people are sick and cannot help themselves and you should pity them."
"Should I pity so and so?" I asked. I gave his name but he delights so in giving it himself that I feel there is no need to give it for him.
"No. He's vicious. He's a corrupter and he's truly vicious."
"But he's supposed to be a good writer."
"He's not," she said. "He's just a showman and he corrupts for the pleasure of corruption and he leads people into other vicious practices as well. Drugs, for example."
...
"You know nothing about any of this really, Hemingway." she said. "You've met known criminals and sick people and vicious people. The main thing is that the act male homosexuals commit is ugly and repugnant and afterwards they are disgusted with themselves. They drink and take drugs, to palliate this, by they are disgusted with the act and they are always changing partners and cannot be really happy."
"I see."
"In women it is the opposite. They do nothing that they are disgusted by and nothing that is repulsive and afterwards they are happy and they can lead happy lives together."
"I see," I said. "But what about so and so?"
"She's vicious," Miss Stein said, "She's truly vicious, so she can never be happy except with new people. She corrupts people."
"I understand."
"You're sure you understand?"
A Moveable Feast
weekend, in brief: it's no good watching romantic comedies by yourself. no good, i tell you