--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They also bring to mind what sometimes…" description: "\"“They also bring to mind what sometimes seems to be a rapt predilection of small but influential cults of intellectuals or esthetes for what is general..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b89/hervey-m-cleckley-242532_books_they-also-bring-to-mind-what-sometimes-s_2946294.jpg" --- # They also bring to mind what sometimes seems to be a rapt… ![“They also bring to mind what sometimes seems to be a rapt predilection of small but influential cults of intellectuals or esthetes for what is generally regarded as perverse dispirited or distastefully unintelligible. The award of a Nobel Prize in literature to Andre Gide who in his work fervently…” quote by Hervey M. Cleckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b89/hervey-m-cleckley-242532_books_they-also-bring-to-mind-what-sometimes-s_2946294.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b89/hervey-m-cleckley-242532_books_they-also-bring-to-mind-what-sometimes-s_2946294.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b89/hervey-m-cleckley-242532_books_they-also-bring-to-mind-what-sometimes-s_2946294.jpg) > ““They also bring to mind what sometimes seems to be a rapt predilection of small but influential cults of intellectuals or esthetes for what is generally regarded as perverse dispirited or distastefully unintelligible. The award of a Nobel Prize in literature to Andre Gide who in his work fervently and openly insists that pederasty is the superior and preferable way of life for adolescent boys furnishes a memorable example of such judgments. Renowned critics and some professors in our best universities reverently acclaim as the superlative expression of genius James Joyce's Finnegan's Wake a 628page collection of erudite gibberish indistinguishable to most people from the familiar word salad produced by hebephrenic patients on the back wards of any state hospital.”” Hervey M. Cleckley ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Some intellectual circles prize obscure, challenging works that may seem nonsensical, exemplified by controversial literary awards. **In simple terms:** Elite circles sometimes glorify difficult, obscure literature. Key Takeaway Question the value of obscurity in art. Themes literature culture elitism controversy award censorship intellectualism Mood critical analytical Type Books:1 Nobel prize:1 Way of life:0 Andre Gide:1 James Joyce:1 Pederasty:1 Regarded Perverse:0 Insists Pederasty:0 Intellectuals Esthetes:1 Pederasty Superior:0 When to use this quote - academic curricula - book clubs - literary criticism - award committees Key Concepts aesthetics critical theory social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - Why do some value complexity over clarity? - What impact do awards have on literary standards? A Different Perspective Obscure works may alienate broader audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Nobel prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel-prize/) [Way of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-life/) ## Related quotes > [A virtuous abstinence from the joys of pederasty comes most easily to those who have no taste for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/a-virtuous-abstinence-from-the-joys-of-pederasty-comes-most-easily-to/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Greek pederasty honored the erotic magnetism of male adolescence in a way that today brings police to the door. Children are more conscious and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/greek-pederasty-honored-the-erotic-magnetism-of-male-adolescence-in-a/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [Art is theft”) and Igor Stravinsky (“Lesser artists borrow, great artists steal”), I’ve always stolen from the people I admire – not plagiarized, mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/art-is-theft-and-igor-stravinsky-lesser-artists-borrow-great-artists/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“   As pointed out by French author and Nobelist in literature André Gide: "Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-r-mcpherson/as-pointed-out-by-french-author-and-nobelist-in-literature-andr-gide/) Guy R. 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André Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-gide/it-is-better-to-be-hated-for-what-you-are-than-to-be-loved-for-what/) â André Gide ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They also bring to mind what sometimes seems to be a rapt predilection of small but influential cults of intellectuals or esthetes for what is generally regarded as perverse dispirited or distastefully unintelligible. 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