> I had a similar experience in 1979, when I was teaching 20th century
> American lit to undergrads. None of them recognized the original
> biblical reference for The Sun Also Rises, though most were Southern
> Christians. Me, the godless Yankee pinko, knew the bible better than
> they did.
It also seems to indicate they didn't even the crack the book, since the passage from Ecclesiastes is cited on the first page :o)
> I think Dan Lazare was right to say that Americans aren't religious so
> much as they are pious.
That's a wonderful line.
Michael