The Influence of Influence

Marilynne Robinson, doing what she does [NYT], talks about books, writing, and the Bible — as well as writing one of the politest harsh critiques of contemporary literature possible:

Biblical allusions can suggest a degree of seriousness or significance their context in a modern fiction does not always support. This is no cause for alarm. Every fiction is a leap in the dark, and a failed grasp at seriousness is to be respected for what it attempts.

Anyway, I link to this as a preface to a piece I’ll have up in the near-ish future on the Bible, translation, and the English language.