Only after a writer lets literature shape her can she perhaps shape literature. In working-class France, when an apprentice got hurt, or when he got tired, the experienced workers said, "It is the trade entering his body." The art must enter the body, too.
In Annie Dillard's "The Writing Life," she emphasizes the profound impact that literature can have on a writer. She suggests that a writer must first fully immerse themselves in the essence of literature, allowing it to influence and transform them. Only then can they begin to create their own works that contribute to the literary landscape.
Dillard draws a parallel between writing and the experiences of apprentices in working-class France, where the physical realities of the trade become part of the worker's identity. This analogy underscores the necessity of deeply engaging with art, as true artistic expression requires this internalization, much like how an apprentice absorbs the intricacies of their craft.
