Joey and Professor Wilder in “In A Lonely Place”

Joey

So what is the best ending in all of literature? Don't say Ulysses. Everyone says Ulysses.

That's easy. Sentimental Education by Flaubert.

Joey

And what happens?

Nothing, really. Just two old friends sitting around remembering the best thing that never happened to them.

Joey

How do you remember something that never happened?

Fondly. You see, Flaubert believed that anticipation was the purest form of pleasure... and the most reliable. And that while the things that actually happen to you would invariable disappoint, the things that never happened to you would never dim. Never fade. They would always be engraved in your heart with a sort of sweet sadness.