Donald Barthelme Quote

The new thing, a great banality in white, off-white and poor-white, leaned up against the wall. Interesting, we said. It's poor, Snow White said. Poor, poor. Yes, Paul said, one of my poorer things I think. Not so poor of course as yesterday's, poorer on the other hand than some, she said. Yes, Paul said, it has some of the qualities of poorness. Especially poor in the lower left-hand corner, she said. Yes, Paul said, I would go so far as to hurl it into the marketplace. They're getting poorer, she said. Poorer and poorer, Paul said with satisfaction, descending to unexplored depths of poorness where no human intelligence has ever been. … Sublimely poor, she murmured. Wallpaper, he said.

p. 48. - Snow White (1967)