--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don’t know how to cure the source-itis…" description: "\"“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 emba..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/flannery-o-connor-639_flannery-o-connor_i-don-t-know-how-to-cure-the-source-itis_21926.png" --- # 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…” quote by Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/flannery-o-connor-639_flannery-o-connor_i-don-t-know-how-to-cure-the-source-itis_21926.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/flannery-o-connor-639_flannery-o-connor_i-don-t-know-how-to-cure-the-source-itis_21926.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/flannery-o-connor-639_flannery-o-connor_i-don-t-know-how-to-cure-the-source-itis_21926.png) > ““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.”” [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) ## 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. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-man/) ## Related quotes > [“ Wise Blood has reached the age of ten and is still alive. 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She thought the word Jesus should be kept inside the church building like other words inside the bedroom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/mrs-may-winced-she-thought-the-word-jesus-should-be-kept-inside-the/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [I feel that discussing story-writing in terms of plot, character, and theme is like trying to describe the expression on a face by saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-feel-that-discussing-story-writing-in-terms-of-plot-character-and/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [She had observed that the more education they got, the less they could do. 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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. 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