Literature, particularly fiction, is not the pure medium we sometimes assume it is. It is affected by things other than its own intrinsic quality; by a curiosity or lack of it about the people it deals with, their outlook, their way of life.
Source: Fragment of Autobiography, 1958; reprinted in Intimate Portraits, ed. H. P. Heseltine, 1969.
-- Vance Palmer, (Aug 28 1885-1959), Australian novelist; His novels, short stories, and plays are noted for disciplined diction and frequent understatement.