Flannery O’Connor “The Displaced Person”

Flannery O’Connor ( ) Born in Savannah, Georgia in 1925 Graduated from the Women’s College of Georgia in 1945 She earned a reputation as a cartoonist for the campus newspaper. She earned an M.F.A in writing from State University of Iowa in 1947 She was struck with disseminated lupus at the age of 25.

Flannery O’Connor ( ) Because of her illness, she was forced to move back to Milledgeville, Georgia She lived and published her fiction from Georgia until her death in At the age of 39, she died of heart failure as a complication of her lupus. She often employs humor, irony, and paradox within a system of Christian belief in evil and redemption. She is best known as a social satirist and a religious writer.

Southern Gothic The South is the “material” (setting & characters) for her works She writes within the Southern Gothic Tradition. Engaging, violent, and frequently grotesque characters who are treated with colloquial (involving or using language) humor. Truth was of the greatest importance.

The Catholic Dimension 2 Main Influences on her writing: 1) The South 2) Catholicism Wrote concerning universal themes Meaning of Life centered upon redemption by Christ Not just a religious writer; her style of storytelling made her writing appealing to non-Christians

O’Connor’s Irony A comic protagonist indulges in fantasies of moral or social superiority or has a false sense of the certainty of things. An ironic and traumatic encounter with other characters forces the protagonist towards the realization that the universe is incomprehensible and terrifying. Though her life was brief and plagued by illness, O’Connor’s talents were acclaimed during her lifetime.

What is epiphany? A character’s sudden insight, which forms the climax of the story. (It is often labeled as a plot device)