I enjoyed reading this, you make many excellent points and I share your dismay at the students weilding their jargon - 'agency' and 'otherness'. Every single aspect of our lives has become politicised whilst humanist principles of reasoned enquiry have been abandoned. I'm considering doing A Year of Joseph Conrad after I've finished Jane Austen.
A beautiful essay, Dan! I completely understand your sentiment about the vacuousness of the terminology used these days at school. It is truly cringeworthy. Anyone can tear down whatever is on the menu to tear down at the moment, but almost no one has the ability to write (in this case) something like the words of O'Connor or anything else of worth on the great reading lists.
Thank you for reading! Woah— super cool that you got to meet him! In my book, I have a whole chapter on making Wise Blood and how Dourif set John Huston straight.
My book is Creating Flannery O'Connor, pub by University of Georgia Press. Any money I make on it is small--it's an academic press--but that's fine by me. Nobody writes a book like that to make money. You can find it in the usual places (Amazon, eBay, etc.). Thanks!
Enjoyed this tribute very much. When I was a kid growing up in Georgia, no one got out of high school without a taste, or substantial meal, of O’Connor. I taught 10th grade American lit for a few years (at a Catholic school, no less), and I was pleased to see she was still on the syllabus. My students tended to find the work confrontational, in a good way, a challenging way.
That said, I think concepts like agency and otherness can be quite useful for opening up O’Connor’s work and shouldn’t be dismissed so readily. I can imagine a very good student essay on “Good Country People,” for instance, framed around precisely these terms.
I first stumbled upon Flannery O’Connor much more than 30 years ago but you have made me see her afresh. I can’t wait to get back to my Library of America edition.
I enjoyed reading this, you make many excellent points and I share your dismay at the students weilding their jargon - 'agency' and 'otherness'. Every single aspect of our lives has become politicised whilst humanist principles of reasoned enquiry have been abandoned. I'm considering doing A Year of Joseph Conrad after I've finished Jane Austen.
thank you for reading and for commenting. Do a year of Flannery sometime! 😊
Though I’m interested in her, I’m not an expert nor have I read much. I think that honour belongs to you.
There's no one quite like her. A true master. Thanks for your reflections. Look forward to reading more of your stuff. New sub!
Thank you so much! Yes—she’s unbelievable.
Hope you don't mind me sharing. A song I wrote inspired by 'A Good Man...'
https://open.spotify.com/track/0FWOvgySGJS2Y2VhwyMUZq?si=361558c6ac194c06
Listening to it now. Totally dig it. That's the Misfit's problem--he "can't quite make out His face." Thanks for sending this!
Exactly. Thanks Daniel.
A beautiful essay, Dan! I completely understand your sentiment about the vacuousness of the terminology used these days at school. It is truly cringeworthy. Anyone can tear down whatever is on the menu to tear down at the moment, but almost no one has the ability to write (in this case) something like the words of O'Connor or anything else of worth on the great reading lists.
Thank you so much!
One of my favorites
Excellent essay, Daniel.
Reading Flannery, like Hawthorn, Hemingway, and others in college was an awakening fs.
I had the opportunity to meet Brad Douriff last year and he signed my dvd of Wise Blood.
Thank you for reading! Woah— super cool that you got to meet him! In my book, I have a whole chapter on making Wise Blood and how Dourif set John Huston straight.
Thanks, Daniel!
I’ll make sure to order a copy.
Thank you!
Nice! Apologies as I’ve missed this. What’s the title of your book and way that’s most advantageous for you to buy it?
My book is Creating Flannery O'Connor, pub by University of Georgia Press. Any money I make on it is small--it's an academic press--but that's fine by me. Nobody writes a book like that to make money. You can find it in the usual places (Amazon, eBay, etc.). Thanks!
Enjoyed this tribute very much. When I was a kid growing up in Georgia, no one got out of high school without a taste, or substantial meal, of O’Connor. I taught 10th grade American lit for a few years (at a Catholic school, no less), and I was pleased to see she was still on the syllabus. My students tended to find the work confrontational, in a good way, a challenging way.
That said, I think concepts like agency and otherness can be quite useful for opening up O’Connor’s work and shouldn’t be dismissed so readily. I can imagine a very good student essay on “Good Country People,” for instance, framed around precisely these terms.
Thanks for reading! I also taught her work to 10th graders--always fulfilling to see them wrestle with her.
I first stumbled upon Flannery O’Connor much more than 30 years ago but you have made me see her afresh. I can’t wait to get back to my Library of America edition.
Excellent—thank you! And today is a perfect day for it.
It’s in Sri Lanka and I am in Croydon.
Ah, well! It'll be there waiting for you!
Eudora Welty is also waiting for me. I will get some more Library of America while I am here. Also Criterion Collection.
Both of those are great forces for good in the world.
I love her but I think she had some liberal idea mixed in with her great ideas.