--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What did we talk about? I don't remember…" description: "\"“What did we talk about? I don't remember. We talked so hard and sat so still that I got cramps in my knee. We had too many cups of tea and then didn't..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/joanna-russ-7942_bad-movie_what-did-we-talk-about-i-don-t-remember_2915601.jpg" --- # What did we talk about? I don't remember. We talked so… ![“What did we talk about? I don't remember. We talked so hard and sat so still that I got cramps in my knee. We had too many cups of tea and then didn't want to leave the table to go to the bathroom because we didn't want to stop talking. You will think we talked of revolution but we didn't. Nor did…” quote by Joanna Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/joanna-russ-7942_bad-movie_what-did-we-talk-about-i-don-t-remember_2915601.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/joanna-russ-7942_bad-movie_what-did-we-talk-about-i-don-t-remember_2915601.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/joanna-russ-7942_bad-movie_what-did-we-talk-about-i-don-t-remember_2915601.jpg) > ““What did we talk about? I don't remember. We talked so hard and sat so still that I got cramps in my knee. We had too many cups of tea and then didn't want to leave the table to go to the bathroom because we didn't want to stop talking. You will think we talked of revolution but we didn't. Nor did we talk of our own souls. Nor of sewing. Nor of babies. Nor of departmental intrigue. It was political if by politics you mean the laboratory talk that characters in bad movies are perpetually trying to convey (unsuccessfully) when they Wrinkle Their Wee Brows and say (valiantly--dutifully--after all, they didn't write it) "But, Doctor, doesn't that violate Finagle's Constant?" I staggered to the bathroom, released floods of tea, and returned to the kitchen to talk. It was professional talk. It left my grey-faced and with such concentration that I began to develop a headache. We talked about Mary Ann Evans' loss of faith, about Emily Brontë's isolation, about Charlotte Brontë's blinding cloud, about the split in Virginia Woolf's head and the split in her economic condition. We talked about Lady Murasaki, who wrote in a form that no respectable man would touch, Hroswit, a little name whose plays "may perhaps amuse myself," Miss Austen, who had no more expression in society than a firescreen or a poker. They did not all write letters, write memoirs, or go on the stage. Sappho--only an ambiguous, somewhat disagreeable name. Corinna? The teacher of Pindar. Olive Schriener, growing up on the veldt, wrote on book, married happily, and ever wrote another. Kate Chopin wrote a scandalous book and never wrote another. (Jean has written nothing.). There was M-ry Sh-ll-y who wrote you know what and Ch-rl-tt- P-rk-ns G-lm-an, who wrote one superb horror study and lots of sludge (was it sludge?) and Ph-ll-s Wh--tl-y who was black and wrote eighteenth century odes (but it was the eighteenth century) and Mrs. -nn R-dcl-ff- S-thw-rth and Mrs. G--rg- Sh-ld-n and (Miss?) G--rg-tt- H-y-r and B-rb-r- C-rtl-nd and the legion of those, who writing, write not, like the dead Miss B--l-y of the poem who was seduced into bad practices (fudging her endings) and hanged herself in her garter. The sun was going down. I was blind and stiff. It's at this point that the computer (which has run amok and eaten Los Angeles) is defeated by some scientifically transcendent version of pulling the plug; the furniture stood around unknowing (though we had just pulled out the plug) and Lady, who got restless when people talked at suck length because she couldn't understand it, stuck her head out from under the couch, looking for things to herd. We had talked for six hours, from one in the afternoon until seven; I had at that moment an impression of our act of creation so strong, so sharp, so extraordinarily vivid, that I could not believe all our talking hadn't led to something more tangible--mightn't you expect at least a little blue pyramid sitting in the middle of the floor?”” [Joanna Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-russ/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A rambling, satirical monologue critiques academic pretentiousness, literary canon, and the absurdities of intellectual discourse. **In simple terms:** It mocks pretentious literary discussion. Key Takeaway Recognize and question intellectual pomposity. Themes literature academia satire culture intellectualism dialogue Mood wry intellectual playful Type satirical literary critical When to use this quote - book clubs - academic seminars - creative writing - media analysis - public debates Key Concepts canon criticism postmodernism gender studies historical context absurdism Questions to Reflect On - How does satire affect your perception of literature? - What value does dense literary reference hold in conversation? A Different Perspective The dense references may alienate readers unfamiliar with the works. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Los angeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/los-angeles/) [Loss of faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss-of-faith/) [Respectable man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respectable-man/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) [Women writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-writers/) ## Related quotes > [When I was singing about 'All You Need Is Love' I was talking about something I hadn't experienced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/when-i-was-singing-about-all-you-need-is-love-i-was-talking-about/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [I always try to avoid looking at the section where my books would be shelved, but I do know that my most reliable neighbor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-choi/i-always-try-to-avoid-looking-at-the-section-where-my-books-would-be/) [Susan Choi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-choi/) > ['Basic Black with Pearls' contains overt references to Virginia Woolf and covert ones to feminist classics like Kate Chopin's 'The Awakening' and Charlotte Perkins…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/basic-black-with-pearls-contains-overt-references-to-virginia-woolf/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [“The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, and The Optimist’s Daughter, by Eudora Welty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-awakening-by-kate-chopin-and-the-optimist-s-daughter-by-eudora/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Why were you in a vehicle with Kate, alone? 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At least, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gyles-brandreth/i-did-once-talk-non-stop-for-12-and-a-half-hours-but-it-was-to-raise/) [Gyles Brandreth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gyles-brandreth/) > [My older son, when things were at the peak of attention, comes up to me and says: 'Mom, I know people are saying you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mendoza/my-older-son-when-things-were-at-the-peak-of-attention-comes-up-to-me/) [Jessica Mendoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mendoza/) > [“Well, because you mysteriously came all this way and obviously are not the man I thought you were, why the heck not. So, Phet,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-houck/well-because-you-mysteriously-came-all-this-way-and-obviously-are-not/) [Colleen Houck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-houck/) > [“Did you talk to him about it?" "Oh, sure. Nothing happened, yadda yadda. The usual. But my maydar went off like crazy." "Maydar?" "As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/did-you-talk-to-him-about-it-oh-sure-nothing-happened-yadda-yadda-the/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [They blossomed, they did not talk about blossoming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/they-blossomed-they-did-not-talk-about-blossoming/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [“back.” “Did you talk to somebody?” “Uh, no, I left a message with my guy over there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/back-did-you-talk-to-somebody-uh-no-i-left-a-message-with-my-guy-over/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [“They recognized from the beginning that they were a rare match. There were so many topics they could talk about easily and just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/they-recognized-from-the-beginning-that-they-were-a-rare-match-there/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [I know more than I knew before I didn't rest I didn't stop Did we fight or did we talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/feist/i-know-more-than-i-knew-before-i-didn-t-rest-i-didn-t-stop-did-we/) [Feist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/feist/) ## More by Joanna Russ > [“Thus in the bad days, in the dark swampy times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-russ/thus-in-the-bad-days-in-the-dark-swampy-times/) [Joanna Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-russ/) > [“An as-yet-unpublished poet in Boulder, Colorado, once said to me that anything worth doing was worth doing badly. I may seem, in the foregoing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-russ/an-as-yet-unpublished-poet-in-boulder-colorado-once-said-to-me-that/) [Joanna Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-russ/) > [“(Only God can make a tree and She seldom tries, nowadays.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-russ/only-god-can-make-a-tree-and-she-seldom-tries-nowadays/) [Joanna Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-russ/) > [ “The trouble with men is that they have limited minds. That's the trouble with women, too." \[ "Existence" (1975)\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-russ/the-trouble-with-men-is-that-they-have-limited-minds-that-s-the/) [Joanna Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-russ/) > [“Until you learn better, you think that a landscaped world can't hurt you or please you, you needn't bother about its soul, you needn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-russ/until-you-learn-better-you-think-that-a-landscaped-world-can-t-hurt/) [Joanna Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-russ/) > [The techniques are all means of dealing with one simple idea: She wrote it. 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But persistence in ignorance is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-russ/ignorance-is-not-bad-faith-but-persistence-in-ignorance-is/) [Joanna Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-russ/) > [“I had planned to consult with a Black colleague, but when I approached her in the hall she had a crowd of students about,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-russ/i-had-planned-to-consult-with-a-black-colleague-but-when-i-approached/) [Joanna Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-russ/) > [There are more whooping cranes in the United States of America than there are women in Congress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-russ/there-are-more-whooping-cranes-in-the-united-states-of-america-than/) [Joanna Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-russ/) > [“Courage is willful hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-russ/courage-is-willful-hope/) [Joanna Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-russ/) > [The trouble with men is that they have limited minds. That's the trouble with women, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-russ/the-trouble-with-men-is-that-they-have-limited-minds-that-s-the-2/) [Joanna Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-russ/) > [“I cannot get into this swamp or I will never get out; and if I start crying again I'll remember that I have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-russ/i-cannot-get-into-this-swamp-or-i-will-never-get-out-and-if-i-start/) [Joanna Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-russ/) > [Science fiction, as I mentioned before, writes about what is neither impossible nor possible; the fact is that, when the question of possibility comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-russ/science-fiction-as-i-mentioned-before-writes-about-what-is-neither/) [Joanna Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-russ/) > [“Somewhere there is a book that says you ought to cry buckets of tears over yourself and love yourself with a passion and wrap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-russ/somewhere-there-is-a-book-that-says-you-ought-to-cry-buckets-of-tears/) [Joanna Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-russ/) [Explore all 84 Joanna Russ quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-russ/) ## More Bad movie quotes > [I firmly believe that you can't get a good movie without risking a bad movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-firmly-believe-that-you-can-t-get-a-good-movie-without-risking-a/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I think bad movies are made around the world, not just in Hollywood. 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Good movie, bad movie, it doesn't matter - I just like his movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/i-m-a-huge-woody-allen-fan-good-movie-bad-movie-it-doesn-t-matter-i/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [It's possible for me to make a bad movie out of a good script, but I can't make a good movie from a bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/it-s-possible-for-me-to-make-a-bad-movie-out-of-a-good-script-but-i/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [Belly was not a bad movie. It was visually very interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orlando-jones/belly-was-not-a-bad-movie-it-was-visually-very-interesting/) [Orlando Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orlando-jones/) > [Somebody once said that Hollywood is based on a lot of producers deliberately making bad movies, and every now and then somebody gets lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/somebody-once-said-that-hollywood-is-based-on-a-lot-of-producers/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) Browse all 143 Bad movie quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What did we talk about? I don't remember. We talked so hard and sat so still that I got cramps in my knee. We had too many cups of tea and then didn't want to leave the table to go to the bathroom because we didn't want to stop talking. You will think we talked of revolution but we didn't. Nor did we talk of our own souls. Nor of sewing. Nor of babies. Nor of departmental intrigue. It was political if by politics you mean the laboratory talk that characters in bad movies are perpetually trying to convey (unsuccessfully) when they Wrinkle Their Wee Brows and say (valiantly--dutifully--after all, they didn't write it) \"But, Doctor, doesn't that violate Finagle's Constant?\" I staggered to the bathroom, released floods of tea, and returned to the kitchen to talk. It was professional talk. It left my grey-faced and with such concentration that I began to develop a headache. We talked about Mary Ann Evans' loss of faith, about Emily Brontë's isolation, about Charlotte Brontë's blinding cloud, about the split in Virginia Woolf's head and the split in her economic condition. We talked about Lady Murasaki, who wrote in a form that no respectable man would touch, Hroswit, a little name whose plays \"may perhaps amuse myself,\" Miss Austen, who had no more expression in society than a firescreen or a poker. They did not all write letters, write memoirs, or go on the stage. Sappho--only an ambiguous, somewhat disagreeable name. Corinna? The teacher of Pindar. Olive Schriener, growing up on the veldt, wrote on book, married happily, and ever wrote another. Kate Chopin wrote a scandalous book and never wrote another. (Jean has written nothing.). There was M-ry Sh-ll-y who wrote you know what and Ch-rl-tt- P-rk-ns G-lm-an, who wrote one superb horror study and lots of sludge (was it sludge?) and Ph-ll-s Wh--tl-y who was black and wrote eighteenth century odes (but it was the eighteenth century) and Mrs. -nn R-dcl-ff- S-thw-rth and Mrs. G--rg- Sh-ld-n and (Miss?) G--rg-tt- H-y-r and B-rb-r- C-rtl-nd and the legion of those, who writing, write not, like the dead Miss B--l-y of the poem who was seduced into bad practices (fudging her endings) and hanged herself in her garter. The sun was going down. I was blind and stiff. It's at this point that the computer (which has run amok and eaten Los Angeles) is defeated by some scientifically transcendent version of pulling the plug; the furniture stood around unknowing (though we had just pulled out the plug) and Lady, who got restless when people talked at suck length because she couldn't understand it, stuck her head out from under the couch, looking for things to herd. We had talked for six hours, from one in the afternoon until seven; I had at that moment an impression of our act of creation so strong, so sharp, so extraordinarily vivid, that I could not believe all our talking hadn't led to something more tangible--mightn't you expect at least a little blue pyramid sitting in the middle of the floor?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joanna Russ" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-russ/what-did-we-talk-about-i-don-t-remember-we-talked-so-hard-and-sat-so/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad movie" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-russ/what-did-we-talk-about-i-don-t-remember-we-talked-so-hard-and-sat-so/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/joanna-russ-7942_bad-movie_what-did-we-talk-about-i-don-t-remember_2915601.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/joanna-russ-7942_bad-movie_what-did-we-talk-about-i-don-t-remember_2915601.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/joanna-russ-7942_bad-movie_what-did-we-talk-about-i-don-t-remember_2915601.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What did we talk about? 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