I don’t know how to cure the source-itis except to tell…
““I don’t know how to cure the source-itis except to tell you that I can discover a good many possible sources myself for Wise Blood but I am often embarrassed to find that I read the sources after I had written the book. I have been exposed to Wordsworth’s “Intimation” ode but that is all I can say about it. I have one of those food-chopper brains that nothing comes out of the way it went in. The Oedipus business comes nearer home. Of course Haze Motes is not an Oedipus figure but there are the obvious resemblances. At the time I was writing the last of the book, I was living in Connecticut with the Robert Fitzgeralds. Robert Fitzgerald translated the Theban cycle with Dudley Fitts, and their translation of the Oedipus Rex had just come out and I was much taken with it. Do you know that translation? I am not an authority on such things but I think it must be the best, and it is certainly very beautiful. Anyway, all I can say is, I did a lot of thinking about Oedipus.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The speaker confesses a compulsive habit of mining personal and literary sources after the fact, revealing a tangled creative process that blends unconscious influence with deliberate study, especially of Oedipus themes.
In simple terms: Creative process is a feedback loop of reading and writing.
Key Takeaway
Ideas often emerge from subconscious absorption.
Themes
intertextuality
self‑reflection
mythic archetype
creative anxiety
literary influence
Mood
introspective
curious
Type
personal anecdote
literary criticism
When to use this quote
- author grappling with source material
- writer revisiting influences post‑completion
- artist comparing translations
Key Concepts
source‑itis
Oedipus complex
translation impact
Practical Applications
- use source‑tracking to refine drafts
- leverage mythic parallels for thematic depth
Questions to Reflect On
- How does recognizing a source after writing change its meaning?
- What value does mythic comparison add to a modern narrative?
A Different Perspective
The claim of discovering sources after writing may overstate the unconscious role; many writers actively curate influences during composition.