Orwell, McPhee & the Litany

Didn’t someone in class today suggest the religious world as one worthy of mining for litanies? And how. Had I been quicker on the draw, I’d have noted what others in the room surely knew: the word “litany” comes from the Greek litê — a prayer, of sorts. A repetitive chant. Turns out the litany as a trope, as a literary device, is a riff on Christian invocations and supplications. Just a little trivia to pass all that spare time of yours.