Flannery O’Connor’s Religious Imagination: A World With Everything Off Balance

Flannery O’Connor’s deep Catholic faith permeated her writing, sometimes in unexpected ways. Indeed, her very imaginative and sometimes grotesque characters were often searching for redemption, many seeking God’s grace through unusual, even bizarre means. Flannery O’Connor used many tools in crafting her work, especially the use of irony and the darker dimensions of humor. She strongly opposed the increased secularism of the modern world, and what she saw as its pervasive nihilism. George Kilcourse, Jr., uses Flannery O’Connor’s correspondence with her friends and associates to help define her approach to writing, and to give insight into her literary characters. Her roots in the deep South color much of her work. This book provides important insights into the life, work, and faith of Flannery O’Connor. It will be ideal for use in college theology or literature classes, although the general reader will also benefit from it. Indeed, anyone wishing to explore the religious dynamic in O’Connor’s writing will appreciate this fascinating book. †