My conception of barbarism does not glitter, particularly. You deny that you idealize the modern age, yet at the same time accuse me of idealizing barbarism. Yet it is evident that I am doing with that state of being only what you are doing with this: pointing out the strong points, or what I conceive to be the strong points; naturally I'm not emphasizing the weak points; nor are you emphasizing civilization's weak points. You can't expect a man to argue against himself.
--Robert E. Howard to H. P. Lovecraft, ca. July 1933--