Painterly jewelled collar and a small feathered cat toy on a burgundy velvet cushion.

Original artwork, not a still

NY Times 13 Jul 1958

Robert Graves

Prose books are the show dogs I breed and sell to support my cat.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The comparison treats prose books as valuable show animals bred for sale, with the proceeds supporting something else the speaker cherishes. Dogs and a cat give the financial relationship a domestic, comic scale. The metaphor separates earning a living from whatever makes that earning worthwhile.

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