Flannery O’Connor may have taken Southern Gothic as far as it could be taken . . . yet only so far as her Christian faith would allow. A staunch Catholic, a promising talent, the toast of New York . . . who then got the tragic diagnosis of lupus and returned home to rural Georgia to creation of some of the strangest, most compelling fiction to come out of the South. Dislocated, irritable, irascible, funny, and finely crafted, her writing bears her into the world: hope in the violence, redemption in the melee. Come join us as we follow the arc of her career through her short stories and novels.

Reading for Week #5: THE VIOLENT BEAR IT AWAY (1960), chapters 1 – 5.

Format: Lecture with some discussion

Platform: A hybrid in-person/zoom event through the Oliver Wolcott Library in Litchfield, CT.

You must register with the library to attend.