But a funny, if not terribly flattering, reference, anyway.
 
The 2001 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest awards are out.  For those who
don't know it, this is a contest, in memory of Edward Bulwer-Lytton, who
gave the world "it was a dark and stormy night...".  It honors *bad*
writing, specifically, the worst first lines of imaginary novels of
various genres.  Herewith, the runner-up in the Purple Prose category:
 
"Like most members of "Mustela putorius fero" [sic], known to laymen as the
domestic ferret, our inquisitive here (about whom more we shall shortly
read) resembled a shrunken polar bear, toasted by a blowtorch, suffixed
by a tail, and stretched out like taffy while still hot."
 
For more of the same, all this year's winning entries can be found at the
website http://www.sjsu.edu/depts/english/2001.htm
 
Nancy S
[Posted in FML issue 3499]