From DH Lawrence’s ‘Pornography and Obscenity’, first published in 1929:
The only positive effect of masturbation is that it seems to release a certain mental energy, in some people. But it is mental energy which manifests itself always in the same way, in a vicious circle of analysis and impotent criticism, or else a vicious circle of false and easy sympathy, sentimentalities.
So, if you hate a book, you’re wanker. And if you like a book, you’re a wanker. Sounds about right to me…
It Doesn't Have To Be Right... 
June 18, 2012 at 9:33 am
What happens if you’re uncertain what to think of a book?
June 18, 2012 at 5:39 pm
Oh, you’re still a w….r!
June 18, 2012 at 11:10 am
But at least if you liked the book, then you’re a happy w****er! 😉
Colum
June 21, 2012 at 10:41 pm
Most of your parameters line up for me to some extent; wonder is where it’s at.
But how much is a ‘mention’ of big times and spaces? If someone is in a tiny room talking about the universe at large, then does that count? Case in point: J G Ballard’s The Voices of Time, one of my all-time favourites, takes place in a claustrophobic dystopian world, but with mentions of great gulfs of time. Even more so, Russell Hoban’s magnificent Riddley Walker is acted out in a tiny area, with characters who seem to have no grasp of history at all.