I've been reading Golden Multitudes: The Story Of Best Sellers In The United States by Frank Luther Mott for awhile now...just nibbling at it, though I'm now on page 260 of 380. It's a delightful book; in part because of the subject matter, but mostly because the author, Frank Luther Mott, is such a smartass. Highly recommended... and available for free at Internet Archive.
Anyway...Mr. Mott starts each chapter with a quotation. This is the quotation for Chapter XXXVII. SUB-ROSA:
"Only Puritans think of the Devil as the most fascinating figure in the Universe. Terrified holy men believed that he could be repulsed only by stout fasting and hearty prayer, while the one complete and perfect exorcism is to face him squarely and yawn."
Heywood Broun
When I first read it, however, my eyes saw "trout fishing" rather than "stout fasting," so I was left to ponder why the devil was so opposed to the freshwater sport. And was probably not a Richard Brautigan fan.
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