(A novel is a commodity that fulfills a certain need; people need to buy daydreams like they need to buy ice cream or aspirin or gin. They even need to buy a pinch of intellectual catnip now and then to liven up their thoughts...)
作者John Dos Passos (0 评论)
John Dos Passos反思小说的价值，将它们比作满足人类欲望的日常商品。就像人们购买冰淇淋或药物以满足各种需求一样，他们也寻找小说沉迷于白日梦。这突出了文献在提供逃避现实和情感成就方面起着基本作用。