The Misanthrope’s Corner

I’ve given you a peek into the files I’ve been throwing out, but there’s still one left: my NOT file. It’s where I’ve kept notes for what I initially thought would make good columns, but which, for one reason or another, did not work out. You’re better off not knowing about some of them, but I found a few that are suitable for polite company, so here they are, along with my reasons for spiking them.

1. Ayn Rand. I abandoned this one for the simple reason that she exhausts me. That unrelenting intensity and repetitive bludgeoning, that preference for the battle ax over the rapier, that disdain for grace notes and the occasional jeu d’esprit. She’s even worse than Alan Keyes—either one of them could kill you. Just thinking about doing a column on her was like thinking about defrosting the fridge or cleaning the oven; I kept taking my notes out and putting them back, telling myself “next time,” all the while knowing that next time would never come if I could help it.

About the Author

Florence King

Florence King was a contributing editor of National Review.

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I’ve given you a peek into the files I’ve been throwing out, but there’s still one left: my NOT file. It’s where I’ve kept notes for what I initially thought would make good columns, but which, for one reason or another, did not work out. You’re better off not knowing about some of them, but I found a few that are suitable for polite company, so here they are, along with my reasons for spiking them.

1. Ayn Rand. I abandoned this one for the simple reason that she exhausts me. That unrelenting intensity and repetitive bludgeoning, that preference for the battle ax over the rapier, that disdain for grace notes and the occasional jeu d’esprit. She’s even worse than Alan Keyes—either one of them could kill you. Just thinking about doing a column on her was like thinking about defrosting the fridge or cleaning the oven; I kept taking my notes out and putting them back, telling myself “next time,” all the while knowing that next time would never come if I could help it.