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Fish: "The words both 'True Grit' films, & Portis's novel, share are these: 'You must pay for everything in this world. There is nothing free with the exception of God's grace.' But free can mean (1) distributed freely, given to anyone and everyone; OR (2) given only to those whom God chooses for reasons that remain mysterious. The novel says, 'You cannot earn that grace or deserve it." FS: Jesus' story of "The Prodigal/Lost Son" suggests a 3rd notion: grace is freely given to all humans, who may not recognize its presence. Human values differ from God's in judging which person or outcome is ultimately "good" or "bad." Grace is an unearned gift. But to believe it is dispensed capriciously is more a characteristic of Greco-Roman cosmology.

NYT: Long Beach Journal - "They are all variations on a theme of fear and suffering, of water and darkness, and Mary Anne Trasciatti wants to hear every one of them. " 'In the aftermath, we were all walking around like zombies, and the moments when people seemed most connected and able to process what had happened was when we were telling each other about it,' said Dr. Trasciatti, a professor of rhetoric at Hofstra University who has lived in Long Beach since 2000. She has begun to collect oral histories of Hurricane Sandy's impact on Long Beach, a project that may take as long as it will take some people in the barrier island city to rebuild their washed-out homes.

Marilynne Robinson, on how biblical narratives influenced realist fictions' honoring of "common" human experiences (consciously or unconsciously)