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Jenny Maxwell

writer, editor

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Matthew Bruccoli

I am sad to read this morning that Dr. Bruccoli--English professor, F. Scott Fitzgerald expert, detester of blogs--has died. 

Many years ago, I took his class on Fitzgerald and Hemingway at USC.  He was reputed to be a tough teacher.  One grad student broke into a cold sweat before our first class even began.

Dr. Bruccoli was prickly in the way good teachers are.  He expected you to read the books.  He expected you to engage your brain.

Years later, I also saw how generous he could be.  He encouraged my friend Caroline Lord to start a literary review.  He mentored her.  He was proud of the work she’d done.  

He told her something I think about a lot.  He said male writers are much quicker to submit their work than female writers.  Men, he said, just put it out there and see if you’ll publish it.  Women hold onto their work, worried that it’s not perfect.  He told her to stop worrying so much and start submitting.

In February, I heard him rail against blogs:  hastily published, full of errors, worthless ramblings.  (Apparently female bloggers don’t hold out for perfection online.)  I think a lot about that too.  So I’ll stop here—and direct you to an interview with Dr.  Bruccoli that was published in Short Story.