1. Flannery O’Connor and Irony

2. Flannery O’Connor (1925 – 1965) Born in Savannah, Georgia
Applied to Iowa Writer's Workshop, but almost rejected because the admissions interviewer couldn't understand her southern accent
Diagnosed with lupus when she was 25

3. O’Connor continued…
A Good Man is Hard to Find (1955) – short story collection
Filled her stories with crazy preachers, murderers, the deformed, the disabled, freaks and outcasts.
Inspired by gothic literature (horror and violence)
Focused on the grotesque because she said, "To the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost-blind you draw large and startling figures.“
O’Connor was a devout Catholic; lots of religious imagery in her stories

4. Irony a literary device whereby a reader’s expectations are reversed
a literary device whereby what is going on or being said on the surface of the narrative is undercut and reversed by implications beneath the surface.
Three Types of Irony
Verbal (sarcasm)
Situational (wow, didn’t see that coming)
Dramatic (how could you not see that coming?)

5. Recognizing irony in a story can be very helpful in determining a theme of a story
What is the theme of “The Life You Save May Be Your Own”?
What are some examples of irony in “The Life You Save May Be Your Own”?

6. Examples of Irony
Mrs. Crater talks about never wanting to part with her daughter, but we learn that she is “ravenous” for a son in law.
Mrs. Crater wants a son-in-law for security, but she gets one who robs her.
Shiftlet complains about the “rotten” world but is himself an example of its rot.
Shiftlet complains about the difficulty of finding an innocent woman but does not want the innocent woman he gets.
Lucynell’s innocence is not virtue but idiocy.