From Oscar Wilde's *The Critic as Artist* (1891). Select the word that fits the blank. "Even in actual life egotism is not without its attractions. When people talk to us about others they are usually dull. When they talk to us about themselves they are nearly always interesting, and if one could shut them up, when they become wearisome, as easily as one can shut up a book of which one has grown ______, they would be perfect absolutely."

Wilde's analogy: the wish to *shut someone up* when they become *wearisome* is compared to the ability to shut a *book* of which one has grown ______. For the analogy to work, both sides must describe the same state — having had too much. "Wearied" matches *wearisome* directly. Both come from *weary* (tired of, exhausted by). - "Fond", "enthusiastic", "proud" all reverse the analogy. The sentence's structure (*wearisome* in the human case → ______ in the book case) makes the answer almost a fill-in repetition.