"I guess I'm way too kind and generous, and a saint - if you can believe that!"
About this Quote
Self-mythology is always funniest when the speaker can barely keep a straight face. R. L. Stine, a writer best known for turning childhood into a playground of safe dread, frames this line like a mock confession: "I guess" shrugs off certainty, "way too" exaggerates into comic overkill, and "a saint" vaults the claim into obvious impossibility. The kicker, "if you can believe that!", functions like a wink to the audience, inviting disbelief as the real punchline.
The intent isn’t to convince you Stine is virtuous; it’s to manage how you see him. Authors who traffic in scares often get saddled with a persona: either the genial kid-lit craftsman or the gleeful tormentor of young readers. Stine splits the difference by leaning into an exaggerated niceness that calls attention to its own artifice. The subtext is, I know you think I’m the guy who gave you nightmares, so let me undercut that with self-deprecating charm.
Context matters: Stine’s brand of horror is calibrated, not cruel. It’s spooky with guardrails, a mass-produced adrenaline hit. This quote mirrors that sensibility. It delivers a tiny jolt of irony without actually threatening anything. The humor is defensive and strategic: it reassures parents and flatters readers by treating them as in on the joke. Stine isn’t claiming sainthood; he’s showing he understands the gap between the dark stories and the essentially approachable guy selling them.
The intent isn’t to convince you Stine is virtuous; it’s to manage how you see him. Authors who traffic in scares often get saddled with a persona: either the genial kid-lit craftsman or the gleeful tormentor of young readers. Stine splits the difference by leaning into an exaggerated niceness that calls attention to its own artifice. The subtext is, I know you think I’m the guy who gave you nightmares, so let me undercut that with self-deprecating charm.
Context matters: Stine’s brand of horror is calibrated, not cruel. It’s spooky with guardrails, a mass-produced adrenaline hit. This quote mirrors that sensibility. It delivers a tiny jolt of irony without actually threatening anything. The humor is defensive and strategic: it reassures parents and flatters readers by treating them as in on the joke. Stine isn’t claiming sainthood; he’s showing he understands the gap between the dark stories and the essentially approachable guy selling them.
Quote Details
| Topic | Sarcastic |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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