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Literary Criticism - General & Miscellaneous, 20th Century American Literature - Post WWII - Literary Criticism, Women Authors - American (U.S.) - Literary Criticism, American Literature - Regional Literature - Literary Criticism
Flannery O'Connor's Characters by Laurence Enjolras β€” book cover

Flannery O'Connor's Characters

by Laurence Enjolras
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Overview

Flannery O'Connor's Characters, a synthetical analysis of recurrent character types in Flannery O'Connor's short fiction, follows fallen men along the path leading to their redemption.

Synopsis

This volume presents an analysis of recurrent character types in Flannery O'Connor's short fiction, and "follows fallen men along the path leading to their redemption." The author expands on his premise that Flannery O'Connor depicts the human body as "ugly." He contends that O'Connor viewed her characters as "monsters who assail" and her readers caught "in the gruesome show of the puppet life through which they totter." The author suggests that her plots "could easily turn into nightmares" as the scenes she depicts "come to life not so much with people as with ghastly substitutes." He argues that even when Flannery O'Connor's characters are not crippled, they "appear as caricatures" because -- for her -- the human body is essentially deprived of, and not worthy of "dignity or respectability." The author closes with the suggestion that O'Connor's depiction of "physical ugliness and suffering, horrible events, and violent deaths should not distress the over-sensitive reader, " but be seen instead as opportunities for each of her characters to accept or reject Christ's offer of redemption and salvation.

About the Author, Laurence Enjolras

Laurence Enjolras is Associate Professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.

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Book Details

Published
April 1, 1998
Publisher
The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group Inc
Pages
72
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780761810407

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