--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most of my influences from outside the…" description: "\"Most of my influences from outside the commerical strange fiction genre came in with university, discovering James Joyce and Wallace Stevens, Blake and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0c/hal-duncan-11149_blake_most-of-my-influences-from-outside-the-c_2104003.png" --- # Most of my influences from outside the commerical strange… ![“Most of my influences from outside the commerical strange fiction genre came in with university, discovering James Joyce and Wallace Stevens, Blake and Yeats, Pinter and Borges. And meanwhile within those genres I was discovering Gibson and Shepard, Jeter and Powers, Lovecraft and Peake.” quote by Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0c/hal-duncan-11149_blake_most-of-my-influences-from-outside-the-c_2104003.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0c/hal-duncan-11149_blake_most-of-my-influences-from-outside-the-c_2104003.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0c/hal-duncan-11149_blake_most-of-my-influences-from-outside-the-c_2104003.png) > “Most of my influences from outside the commerical strange fiction genre came in with university, discovering James Joyce and Wallace Stevens, Blake and Yeats, Pinter and Borges. And meanwhile within those genres I was discovering Gibson and Shepard, Jeter and Powers, Lovecraft and Peake.” [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. University exposure broadened his taste beyond commercial sci‑fi, adding modernist poets and classic writers. **In simple terms:** College expanded his literary horizons. Key Takeaway Seek diverse reading sources. Themes literature influence education Mood enthusiastic reflective Type inspirational analytical When to use this quote - creative writing - book clubs - academic courses Key Concepts modernism genre blending Questions to Reflect On - What new author will you explore? - How does genre mixing affect your writing? A Different Perspective Balancing mainstream and avant‑garde can be challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Genre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genre/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Pinter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pinter/) [Power of love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-of-love/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) ## Related quotes > [Just as some things are too strange for fiction, others are too true for journalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/just-as-some-things-are-too-strange-for-fiction-others-are-too-true/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Sometimes strange fiction, becomes grim reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/sometimes-strange-fiction-becomes-grim-reality/) [Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/) > [It's kind of strange-- in fiction you get to tell lies and are applauded for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-james-waller/it-s-kind-of-strange-in-fiction-you-get-to-tell-lies-and-are/) [Robert James Waller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-james-waller/) > [“She should let one of the gentlemen with their little wager and steal a kiss. That would help her cause far more than beating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-jeffries/she-should-let-one-of-the-gentlemen-with-their-little-wager-and-steal/) [Sabrina Jeffries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-jeffries/) > [“Why would you think there was anything more between me and Mr. Pinter?" Because you blush when his name is mentioned. Because he follows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-jeffries/why-would-you-think-there-was-anything-more-between-me-and-mr-pinter/) [Sabrina Jeffries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-jeffries/) > [Oh god, I'd just hate it if a certain dramaturg got a hold of a Pinter play, for example, which are all mystery and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-guare/oh-god-i-d-just-hate-it-if-a-certain-dramaturg-got-a-hold-of-a-pinter/) [John Guare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-guare/) > [For me, poetry is the colour of Elizabeth Taylor's eyes, or the pauses in Pinter's plays - only the pauses, not the words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-lewis/for-me-poetry-is-the-colour-of-elizabeth-taylor-s-eyes-or-the-pauses/) Roger Lewis > [I worked with Harold Pinter once as my first Broadway show. It was one of the most exciting things that ever happened to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/i-worked-with-harold-pinter-once-as-my-first-broadway-show-it-was-one/) [F. Murray Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/) > [“ I'll bet My. Pinter knows his way around a rifle. She scowled. He probably thought he was a grand shot, anyway. For a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-jeffries/i-ll-bet-my-pinter-knows-his-way-around-a-rifle-she-scowled-he/) [Sabrina Jeffries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-jeffries/) > [The use of depleted uranium in the Gulf War has been particularly effective. Radiation levels in Iraq are appallingly high. Babies are born with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-berrigan/the-use-of-depleted-uranium-in-the-gulf-war-has-been-particularly/) [Philip Berrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-berrigan/) > [God makes something special and unique about each person that sets them apart from every other person, and to me that's is what artistry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubba-sparxxx/god-makes-something-special-and-unique-about-each-person-that-sets/) [Bubba Sparxxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubba-sparxxx/) > [There is a temptation for an actor to editorialize what they're doing. And you can't do that with Pinter. It's almost like a musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-riegert/there-is-a-temptation-for-an-actor-to-editorialize-what-they-re-doing/) [Peter Riegert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-riegert/) > [ \[Harold Pinter\] is a British playwright and is one of my favorite writers. Harold was very obsessed with when memory becomes mythology, that at… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-vaughn/harold-pinter-is-a-british-playwright-and-is-one-of-my-favorite/) [Baron Vaughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-vaughn/) > [There are not many intellectuals left of Harold Pinter's stature who dare raise their voices - and with such force - against the menace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gioconda-belli/there-are-not-many-intellectuals-left-of-harold-pinter-s-stature-who/) [Gioconda Belli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gioconda-belli/) > [Talk to each other. Never go to bed when you're angry with each other. Lady Antonia Frasier who was married to Harold Pinter said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/talk-to-each-other-never-go-to-bed-when-you-re-angry-with-each-other/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) ## More by Hal Duncan > [“Welcome to Erehwyna!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/welcome-to-erehwyna/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“Susurrus whispers through the grass and gorse, godling of the Martian wind, gene-spliced tyke of Zephyros and Ares. His story needs no Ovid, tells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/susurrus-whispers-through-the-grass-and-gorse-godling-of-the-martian/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“But the bigots always see those whom they hate as morally corrupt, as if they confuse their own aesthetics of disgust and fear with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/but-the-bigots-always-see-those-whom-they-hate-as-morally-corrupt-as/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“Susurrus is a different kind of flirt though, fickle as a godling of wind can only be but light and warm as one father,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/susurrus-is-a-different-kind-of-flirt-though-fickle-as-a-godling-of/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [Where names of people or places would mean little to a contemporary reader, I figured "translation errors" could create interesting new meanings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/where-names-of-people-or-places-would-mean-little-to-a-contemporary/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“One can revise the rules, shift the goal posts, but to do so is just to conjure a chimera and mask it as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/one-can-revise-the-rules-shift-the-goal-posts-but-to-do-so-is-just-to/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [I'm sort of exploring where pacifism and socialism come into conflict. How do you reconcile a passionate rejection of might and violence with an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/i-m-sort-of-exploring-where-pacifism-and-socialism-come-into-conflict/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [Prejudice validates itself as righteous abhorrence of the criminally deviant. So Christian homophobia is just a metonym of that abjection in general.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/prejudice-validates-itself-as-righteous-abhorrence-of-the-criminally/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“Cause what do groanhuffs know? All’s they’ve done is heard our tales and passed em along in a game of Chinese Whispers, getting em…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/cause-what-do-groanhuffs-know-all-s-they-ve-done-is-heard-our-tales/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [The conflict between pacifism and socialism ultimately reflects a greater quandary of how one engages with such a system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/the-conflict-between-pacifism-and-socialism-ultimately-reflects-a/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“I kissed the boys and made them cry ... in ecstasy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/i-kissed-the-boys-and-made-them-cry-in-ecstasy/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“For many readers, writers, editors and agents ... pretty much the working (in)definition: SF is short for So Fuck? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/for-many-readers-writers-editors-and-agents-pretty-much-the-working/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“They say that nothing can stand against such a man, for the one gun – that marked Mutiny – deals instant death, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/they-say-that-nothing-can-stand-against-such-a-man-for-the-one-gun/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [Homophobia's just one form of abjection, and wherever you have a marker of deviance - skin colour, gender, gender identity, disability - you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/homophobia-s-just-one-form-of-abjection-and-wherever-you-have-a/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“Losing maturity in one’s fiction for the sake of marvels and monsters can also mean losing propriety, and that’s not always a bad thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/losing-maturity-in-one-s-fiction-for-the-sake-of-marvels-and-monsters/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) [Explore all 61 Hal Duncan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) ## More Blake quotes > [“I caught you!" he beamed. "See, girls really do throw themselves at me. Hey, guys!" His voice echoed off the carved stone and marble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-kirk/i-caught-you-he-beamed-see-girls-really-do-throw-themselves-at-me-hey/) A&E Kirk > [“Livia covered the phone until Kyle looked at her. “You’re simply the best lady I know. I promise not to be oblivious anymore.” Kyle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-anastasia/livia-covered-the-phone-until-kyle-looked-at-her-you-re-simply-the/) [Debra Anastasia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-anastasia/) > [Just remember that William Blake wasn't even published in his lifetime. Ya gotta keep creating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/just-remember-that-william-blake-wasn-t-even-published-in-his/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [“Remember two eighty-six. Livia now counted on the same sort of feverish, rain-soaked determination that had driven Blake to the train station for smile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-anastasia/remember-two-eighty-six-livia-now-counted-on-the-same-sort-of/) [Debra Anastasia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-anastasia/) > [“Livia looked puzzled and whispered, “I have no idea why these are special.” Blake dared to touch her face. “They’re the exact color of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-anastasia/livia-looked-puzzled-and-whispered-i-have-no-idea-why-these-are/) [Debra Anastasia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-anastasia/) > [The Country Music Awards were held Wednesday night at Universal City. The best country songs are always about drinking and guns and love gone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/argus-hamilton/the-country-music-awards-were-held-wednesday-night-at-universal-city/) [Argus Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/argus-hamilton/) > [“... Blake is a ready-made patron saint for those wanting to elevate their marginality, dissent, and queerness into strength. The relative futility of Blake's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-elfenbein/blake-is-a-ready-made-patron-saint-for-those-wanting-to-elevate-their/) [Andrew Elfenbein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-elfenbein/) > [“You're the only one who can bring me through this, because I've never trusted someone the way I trust you. I love you so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-wild/you-re-the-only-one-who-can-bring-me-through-this-because-i-ve-never/) [Meredith Wild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-wild/) > [I know that look, Blake. You are a drowning woman, and the only way out is down the aisle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/i-know-that-look-blake-you-are-a-drowning-woman-and-the-only-way-out/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [“Livia used her mouth to warm any part of his body that felt cold. As she sucked his fingers, she heard a decision in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-anastasia/livia-used-her-mouth-to-warm-any-part-of-his-body-that-felt-cold-as/) [Debra Anastasia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-anastasia/) > [“My mother groaned, my father wept, into the dangerous world I leapt. —William Blake”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-walter/my-mother-groaned-my-father-wept-into-the-dangerous-world-i-leapt/) Chip Walter > [“Let me undress you. Not all the way...just as you were today at Blake's. Please. Let me see you again”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-higgins/let-me-undress-you-not-all-the-way-just-as-you-were-today-at-blake-s/) [Wendy Higgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-higgins/) > [I haven't seen a professional player come out of New York in over 20 years since my brother Patrick came out. Blake spent a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcenroe/i-haven-t-seen-a-professional-player-come-out-of-new-york-in-over-20/) [John McEnroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcenroe/) > [“There isn’t a single spot I’ll miss tonight, my wife.” Blake pulled her against him, tilting her head until he could kiss her again.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-anastasia/there-isn-t-a-single-spot-i-ll-miss-tonight-my-wife-blake-pulled-her/) [Debra Anastasia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-anastasia/) > [“Kyle led the way, and Cole kept a hand on her lower back, holding her hospital gown together. Livia loved the sight of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-anastasia/kyle-led-the-way-and-cole-kept-a-hand-on-her-lower-back-holding-her/) [Debra Anastasia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-anastasia/) Browse all 416 Blake quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Most of my influences from outside the commerical strange fiction genre came in with university, discovering James Joyce and Wallace Stevens, Blake and Yeats, Pinter and Borges. And meanwhile within those genres I was discovering Gibson and Shepard, Jeter and Powers, Lovecraft and Peake.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hal Duncan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/most-of-my-influences-from-outside-the-commerical-strange-fiction/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blake" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/most-of-my-influences-from-outside-the-commerical-strange-fiction/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0c/hal-duncan-11149_blake_most-of-my-influences-from-outside-the-c_2104003.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0c/hal-duncan-11149_blake_most-of-my-influences-from-outside-the-c_2104003.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0c/hal-duncan-11149_blake_most-of-my-influences-from-outside-the-c_2104003.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Most of my influences from outside the commerical strange fiction genre came in with university, discovering…” — Hal Duncan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Hal Duncan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Most of my influences from outside...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/most-of-my-influences-from-outside-the-commerical-strange-fiction/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/most-of-my-influences-from-outside-the-commerical-strange-fiction/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```