[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fFTZs7yJKVJ12DBGI1RlAwOk3NNMKn_5YW3wcfuxmXP0":3,"$fNL8ux63Lh0nQ6WiY9iex0xJysAuulT5rxuE9JFA1CC0":51},{"author":4,"tags":50},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":10,"bio_jsonld":11,"slug":48,"image_url":49},20508,"Florence King","F",187,"Florence King was an American novelist, essayist, and journalist who wrote in English.\n\nBorn on January 5, 1936, in Washington, D.C., King received her education at American University. She worked across three distinct written forms — the novel, the essay, and journalism — and her output in each of those areas contributed to the record under which her work is catalogued today.\n\nKing died on January 6, 2016, in Fredericksburg, one day after her eightieth birthday. Her roles as a novelist, essayist, and journalist remained the consistent thread running through her public identity as a writer.","Florence King was an American novelist, essayist, and journalist who wrote in English.",{"@graph":12,"@context":47},[13,24],{"@id":14,"name":6,"@type":15,"sameAs":16,"birthDate":21,"deathDate":22,"description":23},"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5460668","Person",[14,17,18,19,20],"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_King","https://viaf.org/viaf/91964156/","https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82054817","https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL528901A","1936-01-05","2016-01-06","American writer (born 1936)",{"@type":25,"author":26,"headline":29,"isBasedOn":30,"mainEntity":31,"reviewedBy":32,"articleBody":9,"dateCreated":33,"dateModified":34,"additionalProperty":35,"creativeWorkStatus":46},"Article",{"name":27,"@type":28},"Editorial Team","Organization","Florence King — biography",[14,17,19,20],{"@id":14},{"name":27,"@type":28},"2026-05-25T00:49:35.322659+00:00","2026-05-25T00:56:51.103931+00:00",[36,40,43],{"@type":37,"value":38,"propertyID":39},"PropertyValue","Q5460668","wikidata",{"@type":37,"value":41,"propertyID":42},"1.000","factscore",{"@type":37,"value":44,"propertyID":45},"claude-sonnet-4-6-r1","draftModel","AI-drafted, auto-published","https://schema.org","florence-king",null,[],{"quotes":52,"pagination":118},[53,61,67,74,80,87,93,100,106,112],{"id":54,"quote_text":55,"author_id":5,"source_id":56,"has_image":57,"author":58,"source":59,"quote_tag":60,"commentary":49},4016212,"Americans worship creativity the way they worship physical beauty as a way of enjoying elitism without guilt: God did it.",8,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":48,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":49},{},[],{"id":62,"quote_text":63,"author_id":5,"source_id":56,"has_image":57,"author":64,"source":65,"quote_tag":66,"commentary":49},4016208,"Id-fashioned grandmothers take their grandchildren by the hand and lead them into the future. They are safe and kind, and wiser than the child's mother.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":48,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":49},{},[],{"id":68,"quote_text":69,"author_id":5,"source_id":56,"has_image":57,"author":70,"source":71,"quote_tag":72,"commentary":73},4016189,"Misanthropes have some admirable if paradoxical virtues. It is no exaggeration to say that we are among the nicest people you are likely to meet. Because good manners build sturdy walls, our distaste for intimacy makes us exceedingly cordial. Ships that pass in the night. As long as you remain a stranger we will be your friend forever.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":48,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":49},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nFlorence King, a celebrated American author and essayist known for her wit and insight into human nature, likely penned these words in one of her many essays or columns. Born in 1936, King's life was marked by a keen observation of the human condition, often peppered with humor and irony. As someone who preferred to observe rather than participate in social interactions, she may have been reflecting on her own experiences as a misanthrope.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nWhat lies beneath this quote is the paradoxical idea that true cordiality can arise from a genuine distaste for intimacy. King suggests that individuals who shy away from deep connections are more likely to be friendly and courteous because they build \"sturdy walls\" around themselves, creating a sense of safety and control in interactions.\n\n**How to Use This**\nWhen navigating professional or social relationships where you feel overwhelmed by the need for emotional closeness, remember that it's okay to prioritize your own boundaries. By being clear about your limits while still maintaining good manners, you can cultivate genuine friendships without sacrificing your emotional well-being.",{"id":75,"quote_text":76,"author_id":5,"source_id":56,"has_image":57,"author":77,"source":78,"quote_tag":79,"commentary":49},4016185,"If we define a misanthrope as someone who does not suffer fools and likes to see fools suffer, we have described a person with something to look forward to.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":48,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":49},{},[],{"id":81,"quote_text":82,"author_id":5,"source_id":56,"has_image":57,"author":83,"source":84,"quote_tag":85,"commentary":86},4016165,"Misanthropes have some admirable if paradoxical virtues. It is no exaggeration to say that we are among the nicest people you are likely to meet. Because good manners build sturdy walls, our distaste for intimacy makes us exceedingly cordial \"ships that pass in the night.\" As long as you remain a stranger we will be your friend forever.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":48,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":49},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nFlorence King, an American essayist and humorist, likely penned these words in one of her essays or columns during the 1970s or 1980s. As a self-proclaimed misanthrope, King was known for her biting wit and satire, often targeting societal norms and expectations. Her life's work reflects a keen observation of human nature, frequently highlighting its contradictions.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe paradoxical virtue King highlights lies in the fact that individuals who avoid intimacy due to a distaste for it often cultivate exceptional social skills as a defense mechanism. This irony reveals that some people may prioritize politeness and courtesy not because they genuinely enjoy human connection, but rather because they feel more comfortable maintaining emotional distance.\n\n**How to Use This**\nWhen navigating professional or social situations, recognize that individuals who appear overly friendly or courteous might be employing this strategy as a way to maintain control over their interactions. By acknowledging this dynamic, you can respond in kind by being respectful yet not necessarily effusive, allowing for more genuine connections to develop over time.",{"id":88,"quote_text":89,"author_id":5,"source_id":56,"has_image":57,"author":90,"source":91,"quote_tag":92,"commentary":49},4016137,"Southerners have a genius for psychological alchemy. If something intolerable simply cannot be changed, driven away or shot they will not only tolerate it but take pride in it as well",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":48,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":49},{},[],{"id":94,"quote_text":95,"author_id":5,"source_id":96,"has_image":57,"author":97,"source":98,"quote_tag":99,"commentary":49},3666719,"We are incapable of leaving anything to the imagination and loath to leave anything out. Maniacal thoroughness has become our national verbal ideal.",7,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":48,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":49},{},[],{"id":101,"quote_text":102,"author_id":5,"source_id":96,"has_image":57,"author":103,"source":104,"quote_tag":105,"commentary":49},3666714,"Christopher Hitchens and I were not friends or even acquaintances. We never met or spoke on the phone, just exchanged occasional brief letters - notes, really - hand-written and snail-mailed at first, e-mailed later.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":48,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":49},{},[],{"id":107,"quote_text":108,"author_id":5,"source_id":96,"has_image":57,"author":109,"source":110,"quote_tag":111,"commentary":49},3666711,"In 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,' I couldn't take my eyes off Judith Anderson as Big Mama.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":48,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":49},{},[],{"id":113,"quote_text":114,"author_id":5,"source_id":96,"has_image":57,"author":115,"source":116,"quote_tag":117,"commentary":49},3666703,"Until the mid-seventies, the traditional or classic lesbian was always a spinster and often a tweedy intellectual, with a stark glamour that titillated men and women alike. This is the woman that feminists destroyed when they pressured the media for 'positive images' of lesbians.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":48,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":49},{},[],{"currentPage":119,"totalPages":120,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":121},1,19,10]