I was inspired to read some of Flannery O'Connor's short stories after reading a post by Justin Taylor extolling her skill as a storyteller. So over Christmas I purchased a book of all her short stories at Barnes & Noble and dove right in. So far I've read 6 of the 31 stories included in the anthology ("The Geranium", "The Barber"-my favorite, "Wildcat", The Crop", The Turkey", and "The Train"). I like her writing style and she is an excellent writer, but I'm afraid I dont get it. Most of her stories are a little dark and I get the feeling there is more going on than I'm aware of. I would like to appreciate her work more--if only I understood what she wanted me to see in her stories. I feel like I'm too dense to understand what she's saying and I really want to love her stories, but I dont grasp her point.
In college I read her short stories "A Good Man Is Hard To Find", and "Everything that Rises Must Converge" but those were a little easier to understand. I liked those. I'm not really saying I dont enjoy reading her work, but I'm afraid its a little out of my reach at times.
Does anyone else read or enjoy Flannery O'Connor? Can anyone explain or offer insight to some of her stories preferably ones I've already read?
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2 comments:
Sorry, I've never read her. But thanks for bringer her to my attention. I'll definitely keep my eyes open for her stuff now.
I think I read something by her in high school, but I didn't pay too much attention to books we had to read other than to pass the tests. Sorry.
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