--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Insofar as there is an anxiety of…" description: "\"Insofar as there is an anxiety of influence for a biographer, it may be that each new book is undertaken in reaction to the previous book.\" — Stacy Schiff" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/stacy-schiff-7881_anxiety_insofar-as-there-is-an-anxiety-of-influe_2423784.png" --- # Insofar as there is an anxiety of influence for a… ![“Insofar as there is an anxiety of influence for a biographer, it may be that each new book is undertaken in reaction to the previous book.” quote by Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/stacy-schiff-7881_anxiety_insofar-as-there-is-an-anxiety-of-influe_2423784.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/stacy-schiff-7881_anxiety_insofar-as-there-is-an-anxiety-of-influe_2423784.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/stacy-schiff-7881_anxiety_insofar-as-there-is-an-anxiety-of-influe_2423784.png) > “Insofar as there is an anxiety of influence for a biographer, it may be that each new book is undertaken in reaction to the previous book.” [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Biographers feel an 'anxiety of influence,' often reacting to previous works when writing new ones. **In simple terms:** Biographers react to earlier works. Key Takeaway Be aware of influence. Themes literature biography influence anxiety creative process Mood analytical thoughtful Type literary criticism creative process When to use this quote - academic research - writing workshops - publishing - personal memoirs Key Concepts intertextuality authorial voice literary criticism Questions to Reflect On - How does previous literature shape your writing? - Can you find a unique voice amid influences? A Different Perspective May limit originality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Insofar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insofar/) [New book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-book/) [Undertaken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/undertaken/) ## Related quotes > [I can't imagine turning into one of those codgers who no longer reads fiction. I'm regularly stirred by it and suffer no anxiety of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ross/i-can-t-imagine-turning-into-one-of-those-codgers-who-no-longer-reads/) [Adam Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ross/) > [I think Woody Allen calls it 'anxiety of influence.' When you're in your formative years and you watch a movie that makes you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-winkler/i-think-woody-allen-calls-it-anxiety-of-influence-when-you-re-in-your/) [Max Winkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-winkler/) > [Once you know the emotional building blocks of anxiety, you can influence them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-conley/once-you-know-the-emotional-building-blocks-of-anxiety-you-can/) [Chip Conley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-conley/) > [Searches of al Qaeda sites in Afghanistan, undertaken since American-backed forces took control there, are not known to have turned up a significant cache…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/searches-of-al-qaeda-sites-in-afghanistan-undertaken-since-american/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [The right actions undertaken for the right reasons generally lead to good outcomes over time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mackey/the-right-actions-undertaken-for-the-right-reasons-generally-lead-to/) [John Mackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mackey/) > [A consistent anarchist must oppose private ownership of the means of production, and the wage-slavery which is a component of this system, as incompatible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/a-consistent-anarchist-must-oppose-private-ownership-of-the-means-of/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [With the commissioning of new schools undertaken by a local director of school standards, decisions will be fair and transparent, rooted in the needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-blunkett/with-the-commissioning-of-new-schools-undertaken-by-a-local-director/) [David Blunkett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-blunkett/) > [The dream of the Convention was born from the that children and their needs were not been considered when policies were being made, laws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-bellamy/the-dream-of-the-convention-was-born-from-the-that-children-and-their/) [Carol Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-bellamy/) > [I defend peoples' right to do that in a lawful manner, but I have not undertaken that practice myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-boucher/i-defend-peoples-right-to-do-that-in-a-lawful-manner-but-i-have-not/) [Rick Boucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-boucher/) > [“I have undertaken this project precisely because I am unqualified to do so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lenson/i-have-undertaken-this-project-precisely-because-i-am-unqualified-to/) David Lenson > [Researching and writing about the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-98 was one of the most exciting and involving projects I've undertaken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hobbs/researching-and-writing-about-the-klondike-gold-rush-of-1897-98-was/) [Will Hobbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hobbs/) > [A journey by Sea and Land, Five Hundred Miles, is not undertaken without money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hallam/a-journey-by-sea-and-land-five-hundred-miles-is-not-undertaken/) Lewis Hallam > [War should be undertaken in such a way as to show that its only object is peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/war-should-be-undertaken-in-such-a-way-as-to-show-that-its-only/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [To see, and to show, is the mission now undertaken by Life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-r-luce/to-see-and-to-show-is-the-mission-now-undertaken-by-life/) [Henry R. Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-r-luce/) > [I admire Ralph Nader and Denis Kucinich very much, and insofar as they bring up issues and carry out an educational and organisational function…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-admire-ralph-nader-and-denis-kucinich-very-much-and-insofar-as-they/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More by Stacy Schiff > [As always, an educated woman was a dangerous woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/as-always-an-educated-woman-was-a-dangerous-woman/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [Recently a study proved that working from a larger, less cluttered computer screen increases concentration. I could have told them that. And yes, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/recently-a-study-proved-that-working-from-a-larger-less-cluttered/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [“She did not believe Fate as painstaking as her husband; she was more inclined to take matters into her own hands. She had ample…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/she-did-not-believe-fate-as-painstaking-as-her-husband-she-was-more/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [What we know about Cleopatra's looks is based purely on her coin portraits. Engraving was imperfect, and that when you are a ruler and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/what-we-know-about-cleopatra-s-looks-is-based-purely-on-her-coin/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [No one in the modern world controls the wealth or territory that Cleopatra did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/no-one-in-the-modern-world-controls-the-wealth-or-territory-that/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [“Against a powerful enchantress there is no contest. Against a woman who ensnares a man in the coils of her serpentine intelligence - in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/against-a-powerful-enchantress-there-is-no-contest-against-a-woman/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [Motherhood is always an act of courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/motherhood-is-always-an-act-of-courage/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [Cleopatra stood at one of the most dangerous intersections in history; that of women and power. Clever women, Euripides had warned hundreds of years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/cleopatra-stood-at-one-of-the-most-dangerous-intersections-in-history/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [“Nabokov complained he was afflicted with total recall, an affliction of which he could be miraculously cured by the presence of a biographer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/nabokov-complained-he-was-afflicted-with-total-recall-an-affliction/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [“History existed to be retold, with more panache but not necessarily greater accuracy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/history-existed-to-be-retold-with-more-panache-but-not-necessarily/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [“Véra assumed her married name almost as a stage name; rarely has matrimony so much represented a profession. It was one of the ironies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/v-ra-assumed-her-married-name-almost-as-a-stage-name-rarely-has/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [When a woman teams up with a snake a moral storm threatens somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/when-a-woman-teams-up-with-a-snake-a-moral-storm-threatens-somewhere/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [The interesting thing about Cleopatra is that she is such a shape-shifter. I mean through history we've all molded her to our times and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/the-interesting-thing-about-cleopatra-is-that-she-is-such-a-shape/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [parenting is an exercise in unintended consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/parenting-is-an-exercise-in-unintended-consequences/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [Strangely enough, politics may just be the one realm in which having kids imposes no penalty on women. Kids are practically a necessity. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/strangely-enough-politics-may-just-be-the-one-realm-in-which-having/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) [Explore all 86 Stacy Schiff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) ## More Anxiety quotes > [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/) Nagisa Tatsumi > [Bein Crazy is the least of my worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/bein-crazy-is-the-least-of-my-worries/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [“Fear of seeing a police car pull into the drive. Fear of falling asleep at night. Fear of not falling asleep. Fear of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/fear-of-seeing-a-police-car-pull-into-the-drive-fear-of-falling/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [I get nervous when I don't get nervous. If I'm nervous I know I'm going to have a good show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce-knowles/i-get-nervous-when-i-don-t-get-nervous-if-i-m-nervous-i-know-i-m/) [Beyonce Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce-knowles/) > [“Every invention comes through anxiousness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakesh-wadhwani/every-invention-comes-through-anxiousness/) [Rakesh Wadhwani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakesh-wadhwani/) > [“Do Not Be Anxious 25 e “Therefore I tell you,  f do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-be-anxious-25-e-therefore-i-tell-you-f-do-not-be-anxious-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nothing happens on its own, you have to make things happen. If you really want to come out of your stressful situation than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subodh-gupta/nothing-happens-on-its-own-you-have-to-make-things-happen-if-you/) [Subodh Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subodh-gupta/) > [“I guess if we're talking about my anxiety, the even truthier truth is it started way before that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-winfrey/i-guess-if-we-re-talking-about-my-anxiety-the-even-truthier-truth-is/) [Kerry Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-winfrey/) > [I was a very good student. Procrastinating gives me anxiety, and getting a B really ticked me off. Sure, I didn't always want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-loren/i-was-a-very-good-student-procrastinating-gives-me-anxiety-and/) [Josie Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-loren/) > [“The suspense: the fearful, acute suspense: of standing idly by while the life of one we dearly love, is trembling in the balance; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-suspense-the-fearful-acute-suspense-of-standing-idly-by-while-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As you know, I have been very open about my struggle with social anxiety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-walker/as-you-know-i-have-been-very-open-about-my-struggle-with-social/) [Summer Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-walker/) > [Anxiety is not to be managed it is a sin that needs to be repented of](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/anxiety-is-not-to-be-managed-it-is-a-sin-that-needs-to-be-repented-of/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [“I’ve always seen this in you, ever since you were a little girl — this hunger to love other people into their highest selves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-elisabeth/i-ve-always-seen-this-in-you-ever-since-you-were-a-little-girl-this/) [Jennifer Elisabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-elisabeth/) [Browse all 4,944 Anxiety quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Insofar as there is an anxiety of influence for a biographer, it may be that each new book is undertaken in reaction to the previous book.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stacy Schiff" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/insofar-as-there-is-an-anxiety-of-influence-for-a-biographer-it-may/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anxiety" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/insofar-as-there-is-an-anxiety-of-influence-for-a-biographer-it-may/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/stacy-schiff-7881_anxiety_insofar-as-there-is-an-anxiety-of-influe_2423784.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/stacy-schiff-7881_anxiety_insofar-as-there-is-an-anxiety-of-influe_2423784.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/stacy-schiff-7881_anxiety_insofar-as-there-is-an-anxiety-of-influe_2423784.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Insofar as there is an anxiety of influence for a biographer, it may be that each new book is undertaken in…” — Stacy Schiff", "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": "Stacy Schiff", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Insofar as there is an anxiety...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/insofar-as-there-is-an-anxiety-of-influence-for-a-biographer-it-may/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/insofar-as-there-is-an-anxiety-of-influence-for-a-biographer-it-may/#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 } } ] } ```