Over at Toast and Honey, Olivia’s done a very good job of summarizing two – one, two – arguments currently being put forward about modern literature.

To be honest, I think both sides have some merit, but in the spirit of this blog’s new-found commitment to the funny, I offer the following jape about the nature of modern writing (caution, contains language and ideas of a frankly immature and simplistic nature):

Interviewer: So, you’re a modern novelist. What does that mean in terms of your average day?
Writer: My day? Well, to give an example, I spent most of this morning wrestling with my novel, about a novelist who’s writing a book about a novelist with writer’s block. And this afternoon… well, to be honest, I spent most of the afternoon beating myself off.
Interviewer: Tell me, how are you able to distinguish between those two activities?

…Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, I’m here until Sunday. Don’t forget to tip the bar staff.