Flannery O'Connor and the Scandal of Faith

by Jessica Hooten Wilson

Flannery O’Connor is a writer who defies easy categorization. Her novels and short stories often grapple with the complex intertwining of religious faith and human nature, viewed with her sharp eye for the humorous and the grotesque in everyday life. As an author who has been beloved and dismissed in equal measure since she first began publishing in the 1950s, O’Connor’s reputation seems eternally in flux amongst critics and ordinary readers alike. Who was Flannery O’Connor, and why does her work continue to attract and repulse in equal measure?

Across six revealing lectures, Professor Jessica Hooten Wilson will introduce you to one of the 20th century’s most fascinating and divisive writers in Flannery O’Connor and the Scandal of Faith. Beginning with an overview of her brief but remarkable life, Professor Wilson will then take you through an exploration of themes in O’Connor’s work and the hallmarks of her literary style. You’ll get a clearer picture of O’Connor’s historical and geographical context while digging into how her stories can transcend time and place. Along the way, you’ll also have the opportunity to trace the impact and legacy of her work and consider why her stories endure.

By closely examining O’Connor’s novels and short stories, you’ll see how her very specific time and place—the Southern US in the mid-20th century—and her Catholic faith coalesce to create a remarkably universal lens through which to view the human experience. Flannery O’Connor’s untimely death at the age of 39 means she left behind a relatively small body of work, and yet her stories live on, and with them, her unique approach to the poignant absurdities of faith, art, and life itself.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Biography, Audiobook, Literary Criticism, Christianity, Literature

3 pages, Audible Audio

Published January 1, 2024

About the author

Jessica Hooten Wilson (PhD, Baylor University) is the inaugural Visiting Scholar of Liberal Arts at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. She previously taught at the University of Dallas. She is the author or editor of eight books, including Reading for the Love of God, The Scandal of Holiness (winner of a Christianity Today 2023 Award of Merit), and Giving the Devil His Due: Demonic Authority in the Fiction of Flannery O'Connor and Fyodor Dostoevsky (winner of a 2018 Christianity Today Book of the Year Award). Wilson speaks around the world on topics as varied as Russian novelists, Catholic thinkers, and Christian ways of reading.

Reviews

[Tiffany Mollis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read Flannery before but did not know anything about her life. Highly recommend this lecture series and I can say you do not have to read her first (but would suggest you do afterwards, if not before). Fantastic!

[Josh Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great set of lectures.

[Tom Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of a kind and not in a good way.

I never quite understood Readers’ fascination with this Woman, but I think this book helped my difficulty.

While she was capable of spinning a quirky good yarn I found her dark obsession with her version of Christianity offputting. Like some folks I’ve met here in The South her Worldview is so detached from My Reality that I just lose interest in following her down the Rabbit Hole.

The book does a good job of parsing her works through her dark lens, just not to my taste. Four Stars. ****

One of a kind and not in a good way.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is critical in helping me understand and appreciate the person and writings of Flannery O’Conner. Having only read “Wiseblood,” and not quite knowing what to make of it, I now have a better understanding her themes, some of her literary devices, her style, her philosophy and beliefs, and even her purposes in writing. Wikipedia gives a good intro to her writings as well, and I wish I would have known before I read my first book of hers. This “Great Courses” book can be highly recommended to anyone who wants to read her books and understand her unique genius.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5* Flannery O'Connor is a writer that I have to read multiple times to even begin to understand what the hell she's trying to say. But then her works have stuck in my head forever after. This is a great set of lectures that serve as an introduction to her work, the themes, the violence that acts as a moment of grace, and critical reception. A good way to approach her if you are perplexed by her stories (and how could you not be?)

"She would've been a good woman," said The Misfit, "if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life."

[Jenny Webb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid set of lectures introducing Flannery O’Conner in terms of biography followed by an examination of her published works and their overarching theme. Props for not shying away from the discussion racism. The professor obviously loves the material she’s lecturing on, but in a good way.

[Kristin Runyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended by a friend, this is a great overview of O’Connor as person and writer. If you’ve been mystified by her writing (who hasn’t?) this will give you insight and expectation to tackle her wonderful works.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

"A God you understood would be less than yourself."

Wilson is a big fan and teacher of the works of Flannery O'Connor. Here she gives six lectures (available on Audible for free) on different aspects of Flannery O'Connor's life, work and faith. I knew much of it already but I still enjoyed it. Wilson wrote her dissertation on O'Connor, has connected her to Dostoevsky, another Christian writer (though there is way more doubt in Dostoevsky, imho), and has written a book about O'Connor's unfinished novel (OC died at the age of 39 of Lupus).

One of the things Wilson does is to clarify O'Connor's conservative Catholic views that shape her fiction. I think non-religious readers are confused about her intentions--these people are crazy wacked out crackers!!--but Wilson makes it clear there is such a thing as sin in the world, that it twists us into various weird shapes and behaviors, though in every story she finds moments of grace.

O'Connor on the Eucharist: "Well, if it's a symbol, then I say to hell with it."

And on sin: "Right now the whole world seems to be going through a dark night of the soul." (Prophet O'Connor for 2025?!)

The stories are often violent, with bizarre characters, seen as grotesque. Why write that way?:

"When you can assume that your audience holds the same beliefs you do, you can relax and use more normal means of talking to it; when you have to assume that it does not, then you have to make your vision apparent by shock--to the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost-blind you draw large and startling figures."

"Whenever I’m asked why Southern writers particularly have a penchant for writing about freaks, I say it is because we are still able to recognize one."

But she also knows how to make you laugh as she startles you:

“I don't deserve any credit for turning the other cheek as my tongue is always in it.”

On story: "A story is a way to say something that can't be said any other way, and it takes every word in the story to say what the meaning is. You tell a story because a statement would be inadequate. When anybody asks what a story is about, the only proper thing is to tell them to read the story. The meaning of fiction is not abstract meaning but experienced meaning."

I grew up in a very conservative religious environment and so always understood her and loved her writing, but in my long unreligious phase, I still like her a lot, one of the great writers.

[Rebekah Hendren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a well written and accessible set of lectures on the key points of Flannery O'Connor's work. I appreciated the inclusion of biographical information in addition to the discussion of her writing style and themes.

One aspect I have always enjoyed about her stories is how mystifying I find them. I love the process of unpacking the plot, characters, and overall meaning of the work. Wilson does an excellent job of clearly and concisely parsing through the major themes that O'Connor displays through her writing. She also does not shy away from some of the controversy and criticism surrounding Flannery, which I appreciated.

I have been an O'Connor fan since discovering her short stories in college, and I greatly enjoyed revisiting her work through these lectures. I am looking forward to working through my copy of The Complete Stories with my refreshed knowledge!

[Craig Amason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because of my long association with the work of Flannery O’Connor and because this was a freebie on Audible, I decided to listen to this series of lectures by Wilson. It serves as a concise and interesting introduction to the writer’s work with an emphasis on the Catholic themes in her fiction and the impact her faith had on her career as an author. There are no real revelations here, but the lectures do reflect and mention some of the more recently released works of O’Connor, previously unpublished, including her unfinished third novel. Readers curious about this great American author will find these lectures informative without diving too deeply.

[Hunter Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely outstanding lecture series. The professor obviously knows Flannery O'Conner extremely well. When you finish the course you will understand the person, her background, her writing and influences as well as how she is relevant. The professor does not shy away from some of the negative aspects of her writing but also shows her growth as a person with her last work. Highly, highly recommend!

[A.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lupus - ugh

six lectures about the life, writing, themes and literary [word?] of Flannery O’Connor.

I confess that I think I keep getting Flann O'Brien and Flannery O'Connor confused. Well done, there, brain… but nonetheless, this was super interesting.

4 stars

[Peggy Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sort of interesting, but not overly eye-opening. I already loved Flannery O'Connor, I already had an understanding of her books. I don't like being told how I'm supposed to look at them or interpret them. So, my fault for choosing to read this.

[Prudence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good background to further understand O'Connor's religious views and how they are portrayed in her writing. Her racial viewpoints are also speculated. Her book and short stories are also reviewed, analyzed and compared to other Southern authors, along with Christian writers.

[Cal Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was this supposed to make want to read Flannery O'Connor? Im confused. Why is half the book focused on whether she was racist or not.

[Amy Lepore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this insight into a fabulous southern regional author and how her Catholic faith infused her work.

[David Rawls · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last year I started reading Flannery O'Connor. This short series of lectures is a good primer in understanding her life and her writings.

[Melanie Mansfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, boy, would Flannery and I have been besties!!!

[Brandi Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I want to read everything by O’Connor!

[Debbie Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This felt more like a good introduction to Flannery O'Connor's work than a trailblazing analysis of her work. I didn't spot any new revelations or feel any deeper understanding of O'Connor's work.

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never knew who Flannery O'Connor was (a classic author), but after this course I want to read her stuff.

Really good presentation.

[Liz Prather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great listen for O’Connor fans. The audiobook reader’s affected Southern accent is cringe though.

[Wendy Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

These lectures are phenomenal!

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gonna need to read more Flannery O'Connor