I think my Dad had that "pseudo-highbrow twit" for a professor in college. Asking my Dad why the whale was white in Moby Dick gets a reaction like someone remembering being in a car accident.

It also probably explains why he didn't seem surprised to be informed by my high school teacher that my 5-minute book report that stretched to 35-minutes on The Pearl had "too much energy" and "focused on the negative themes" a bit much. For my part, given the conditions of the school, I found the choice of books to be unfortunate.