--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A certain critic -- for such men, I…" description: "\"A certain critic -- for such men, I regret to say, do exist -- made the nasty remark about my last novel that it contained 'all the old Wodehouse chara..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/076/anonymous-1_able_a-certain-critic-for-such-men-i-regret-t_2723155.jpg" --- # A certain critic -- for such men, I regret to say, do… ![“A certain critic -- for such men, I regret to say, do exist -- made the nasty remark about my last novel that it contained 'all the old Wodehouse characters under different names.' He has probably by now been eaten by bears, like the children who made mock of the prophet Elisha: but if he still…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/076/anonymous-1_able_a-certain-critic-for-such-men-i-regret-t_2723155.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/076/anonymous-1_able_a-certain-critic-for-such-men-i-regret-t_2723155.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/076/anonymous-1_able_a-certain-critic-for-such-men-i-regret-t_2723155.jpg) > “A certain critic -- for such men, I regret to say, do exist -- made the nasty remark about my last novel that it contained 'all the old Wodehouse characters under different names.' He has probably by now been eaten by bears, like the children who made mock of the prophet Elisha: but if he still survives he will not be able to make a similar charge against Summer Lightning. With my superior intelligence, I have out-generalled the man this time by putting in all the old Wodehouse characters under the same names. Pretty silly it will make him feel, I rather fancy.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author mocks a critic’s claim by deliberately using recognizable characters under the same names, turning the critique into a joke. **In simple terms:** The writer intentionally repeats familiar characters to outwit a critic. Key Takeaway Use humor to defuse criticism. Themes humor literary criticism self‑reference authorial confidence Mood playful ironic Type satirical literary When to use this quote - writing workshops - literary debates - author interviews - publishing discussions Key Concepts intertextuality meta‑fiction satire Questions to Reflect On - How does self‑referential humor affect new readers? - When is it better to ignore critics? A Different Perspective The joke may alienate readers unfamiliar with the original works. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Lightning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lightning/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Prophet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophet/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Silly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silly/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wodehouse/) ## Related quotes > [He's nice enough not to want to be associated with a nasty remark but not nice enough not to make it. Lacking the courage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kinsley/he-s-nice-enough-not-to-want-to-be-associated-with-a-nasty-remark-but/) [Michael Kinsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kinsley/) > [everything is relative. you, for instance, are my relative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everything-is-relative-you-for-instance-are-my-relative/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I do not know what I regret. I sit with my pen, and cannot find an end to that sentence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-do-not-know-what-i-regret-i-sit-with-my-pen-and-cannot-find-an-end-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Oh, Lord, it is not the sins I have committed that I regret, but those which I have had no opportunity to commit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/oh-lord-it-is-not-the-sins-i-have-committed-that-i-regret-but-those/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I believe the war on terror is the vital discussion of this decade and of our generation, probably. To win the war on terror,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-believe-the-war-on-terror-is-the-vital-discussion-of-this-decade/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Yes, sir,' said Jeeves in a low, cold voice, as if he had been bitten in the leg by a personal friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wodehouse-p-g/yes-sir-said-jeeves-in-a-low-cold-voice-as-if-he-had-been-bitten-in/) Wodehouse P.G > [“INTERVIEWER Have you ever been envious of another writer? WODEHOUSE No, never. I’m really such a voracious reader that I’m only too grateful to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/interviewer-have-you-ever-been-envious-of-another-writer-wodehouse-no/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [I have written it before and am not ashamed to write it again. Without Wodehouse I am not sure that I would be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/i-have-written-it-before-and-am-not-ashamed-to-write-it-again-without/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [“Filled with a coward rage that dares to burn but does not dare to blaze, Lord Emsworth coughed a cough that was undisguisedly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/filled-with-a-coward-rage-that-dares-to-burn-but-does-not-dare-to/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [The only writer who gives me unfeigned pleasure is P.G. Wodehouse. And even him I find a bit heavy. He takes a lot out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/the-only-writer-who-gives-me-unfeigned-pleasure-is-p-g-wodehouse-and/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [I read Carver. Julio Cortazar. Amis's essays. Baldwin. Lorrie Moore. Capote. Saramago. Larkin. Wodehouse. Anything, anything at all, that doesn't sound like me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-read-carver-julio-cortazar-amis-s-essays-baldwin-lorrie-moore/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [“I’m not absolutely certain of my facts, but I rather fancy it’s Shakespeare—or, if not, it’s some equally brainy lad—who says that it’s always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/i-m-not-absolutely-certain-of-my-facts-but-i-rather-fancy-it-s/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [“NOW, touching this business of old Jeeves – my man, you know – how do we stand? Lots of people think I’m much too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/now-touching-this-business-of-old-jeeves-my-man-you-know-how-do-we/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [Before I came to England, my favorite authors were P. G. Wodehouse and Agatha Christie. I used to devour both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/before-i-came-to-england-my-favorite-authors-were-p-g-wodehouse-and/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [...Mr. Wodehouse is a prose stylist of such startling talent that Frankie nearly skipped around with glee when she first read some of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/mr-wodehouse-is-a-prose-stylist-of-such-startling-talent-that-frankie/) [E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. 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I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. 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I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. 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