`Entertainment for God'

Thanks to Dave Lull for this link to a story about the great J.F. Powers, who is quoted as saying in an interview:

“There is a common quality in all art; in a sense that really good paintings, sculpture, music, writing have. I can't name it. It has something to do with God-given spirit, going beyond oneself. I think it's possible to write something, for me to write something, that even God might like. It's possible for me to hit a note, to get in a mood, to write something that is worthy even of God's attention. Not as a soul seeking salvation, but just as entertainment for God. This may be blasphemous to say, but I believe it. I don't think God is there and we're here, and there are no connections. I think there are connections, and I think art is certainly one.”

And thanks to Joe of New York City for alerting me to this lecture by Geoffrey Hill on the occasion of John Milton’s 400th birthday.