Quite a quote from her The Death Of Adam: Essays on Modern Thought…
“People who are blind to the consequences of their own behavior no doubt feel for that reason particularly suited to the work of reforming other people. To them morality seems almost as easy as breathing. Fish-eating water-drinkers who confront their geriatric disorders in long anticipation — we could all be like them.”
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3 responses to “From Marilynne Robinson’s "Puritans and Prigs"”
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I will always cherish the sight of the RodFather smoking with great gusto at the MB conference breaks! To quote my personal life-coach, Dr. Apu Nahasapeemapetilon–"Would you like some vodka to go with that beef jerky?"
Great comment, Cliff. Also, Perry Miller (who taught at Harvard I think til the early 60's) did excellent work on the Puritans on the "intellectual history" front, and did much to correct what had been a caricatured portrait. Also, doesn't Robinson quote The Institutes sympathetically in Gilead? That may be a first for a Pulitzer Prize winner.
Obviously the title of the essay is “Puritans and Prigs,” not “Pigs”