Everyone’s work is eventually divided by scholars into early, mature, and late. After some debate on the work marking the beginning and end of each phase, the division is eventually accepted and the matter is settled. On occasion, if new evidence surfaces, the whole matter is reopened, but not for long, for the debate itself is already well structured. In the end, the mature work is valued most highly; the early work is discussed with joyous anticipation of good things to come; and the late work is usually discussed with a mixture of remorse, pity, disdain, and even ridicule. If the work is sold on the market, the prices it can fetch reflect this division. Given all this, those who believe, rightly or wrongly, that their work will eventually be scrutinized by scholars will do everything in their power to get to the mature phase as soon as possible and hang onto it as long as possible. With tragi-comic results, they will do everything in their power not to conform to the natural phases of their own lives.