Status Updates From The Cords of Vanity

p.5/136.

"...people don’t go to concerts unless they want to hear music; whereas the people who buy the ‘best-sellers’ are the people who would prefer to do anything rather than be reduced to reading. I protest that the man who makes these people read on until they see how ‘it all came out’ is a deal more than an artist; he is a sorcerer.”

"You appear," said Peter, drily, "to be unusually well-informed as to what is going on at Selwoode."
"You must remember that there are maids at Selwoode. You must remember that my man Byam, is—and will be until that inevitable day when he will attempt to blackmail me, and I shall kill him in the most lingering fashion I can think of,—that Byam is, I say, something of a diplomatist."

"H'm!" said Mr. Bulmer, dubiously; "going back to renew associations with your first love? I have tried it, and I generally find her grandchildren terribly in the way."

...because intelligent persons do not attempt to keep abreast with modern fiction. It is probably ascribable to the fact that they enjoy being intelligent, and wish to remain so.

You will presently find, I think, that living means a daily squandering of interest upon the first half of a number of two-part stories which have not ever any sequel.

Why did BYU name a library after this author? He must have accomplished something with more substance.

Funny. Silly. Irreverent. In an old fashioned way.

The protagonist deftly avoids, and then longs for, matrimony.

The protagonist is beset by death and plagiarism.

The protagonist finds futile pursuits of love while the author comments sarcastically on the usual literary treatment of women as useless.

He leaves one love, writes a trash novel, and finds another woman. I think the notion of this book is his series of heart-consuming loves and how vain all the effort is.

Enjoying this.

The protagonist isn't shy of sexist ideas in how he approaches romance, but he means well: he has a few poorly guided ideas about his current interest, but these manifest as adoration rather than ill treatment.

Silly me. Here I am reading what I think is Cabell's second novel, but I'm not recognizing anything. And I've read his first three books a few times and feel like I know them moderately well. So I'm confused.
Turns out I must have had a giant brain fart when I started this because it's his fourth, which I've never read. Ah well.