The Gospel According to Flannery O'Connor : Examining the Role of the Bible in Flannery O'Connor's Fiction

161 Pages·2014·1.29 MB·English

by  O'Connor

The Gospel According to
Flannery O’Connor

The Gospel According to
Flannery O’Connor
Examining the Role of the Bible in
Flannery O’Connor’s Fiction
Jordan Cofer
NEW YORK • LONDON • NEW DELHI • SYDNEY
Bloomsbury Academic
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First published 2014
© Jordan Cofer 2014
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cofer, Jordan.
The Gospel According to Flannery O’Connor : Examining the Role of the Bible in
Flannery O’Connor’s Fiction / Jordan Cofer.
pages cm
Summary: “Illustrates how Flannery O’Connor’s stories dramatize elements of
the Bible coming alive, anachronistically, in different times and social settings”–
Provided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-62356-088-1 (hardback)
1. O’Connor, Flannery–Criticism and interpretation. 2. Bible–In literature. I. Title.
PS3565.C57Z6247 2014
813’.54 – dc23
2013049295
ISBN: HB: 978-1-6235-6088-1
ePub: 978-1-6235-6804-7
ePDF: 978-1-6235-6227-4
Typeset by Integra Software Services Pvt. Ltd.
Dedicated to my lovely wife, Rebecca, my family
who encouraged me at every step of the way,
and to my mentor, Thomas Gardner

Contents
Acknowledgments viii
List of Abbreviations x
1 Towards a New Approach to Flannery O’Connor’s Fiction 1
2 Wise Blood as a Primer for O’Connor’s Religious Vision 19
3 From Dishonor to Glory: Biblical Recapitulation in
“A Good Man Is Hard to Find” and “Judgment Day” 51
4 The Terrible Speed of Mercy: Flannery O’Connor’s
Backwoods Prophets 73
5 So the Last Shall Be First, and the First Last:
Biblical Reversals in the Fiction of Flannery O’Connor 95
Bibliography 132
Index 138
Index of Biblical References 141
Acknowledgments
My lifelong fascination with Flannery O’Connor began when I first picked up a copy
of her Collected Works in the public library, after reading The Violent Bear It Away
in an American Novels seminar, under the direction of fellow O’Connor enthusiast
Susan Guymon. O’Connor believed that good writing “hangs on and expands in the
mind,” and, for me, this certainly was the case as unpacking the novel soon became
an obsession. In my first clumsy attempts at literary research, I read journal articles,
notes, and different translations of Matthew 11:12, all in an attempt to understand
exactly what it meant for the violent to “bear it away.” It was this obsession with the
novel that continued long after the seminar was finished that led me to devour her
work. Yet, as I began to read Collected Works cover-to-cover, it was not her fiction, but
her letters that fascinated me. Her writing intrigued me in a way in which no other
writer had ever captured my interest. I found myself reading her letters, highlighting
advice that she gave, and feeling as if I had a deep personal connection with this writer.
It was not just that her stories were funny or entertaining, but there was a level of
depth—a vision—that I’d never encountered before (or since). After I finished my
bachelor’s degree and headed out into the strange and exotic land of graduate school,
I went armed with my well-worn copy of Collected Works and the steadfast intention
of studying Flannery O’Connor.
The germ of this book, the idea that O’Connor was rewriting Bible stories, came
from an afternoon preparing to teach “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” to a classroom
full of very talented freshman at Virginia Tech. From there, Thomas Gardner not only
helped me to develop and expand the idea, but he helped me at every stage of the
publishing process from beginning to end. Through countless hours in his office, on
the phone, and frequent email exchanges, he not only helped me to develop a small
idea into a thesis, and later a book, but he taught me almost everything I know about
academic writing—lessons I have since tried to pass on to my own students.
During my doctoral studies, I also received amazing advice and direction from Dr.
James Whitlark, who was supportive and integral in assisting with this study, while
receive great insights from the other members of my dissertation committee, John
Samson and Bryce Conrad. From there, editor Matt McCullough offered me some
extensive feedback that helped this book to take shape.
Along the way, I also received much more help and encouragement than I deserved
from a large number of Flannery O’Connor scholars, the most kindhearted and
encouraging academic community out there; fellow Flannery O’Connor scholars
did more than offer me direction—they took me seriously, took my ideas seriously,
and treated me like a professional as they encouragingly fanned the flame of my
enthusiasm for Flannery O’Connor. These generous scholars, from Jean Cash, who
Acknowledgments ix
read early drafts of my thesis, to Bruce Gentry and Robert Donahoo, both of whom
put up with my frequent questions, requests, and so on, all helped me immensely. I also
received financial support from The Flannery O’Connor Review, which awarded me the
Flannery O’Connor research fellowship (2007), and the Sarah Gordon award (2008),
which I received for my essay on “Parker’s Back.” Both awards helped to fund the
project. Furthermore, I received some great advice from many O’Connor scholars such
as Jon Han, who published my first scholarly essay, Ralph Wood, John Sykes, Farrell
O’Gorman, Jay Watson, Doug Davis, Craig Amason, Steve Watkins, and many more—
all of whom gave me some amazing feedback and encouragement. Truly, the Flannery
O’Connor community is one of the most gracious and supportive interpretative
communities around. Parts of Chapter Three and Chapter Five, drastically altered,
previously appeared as “The All-Demanding Eyes: Following the Old Testament
and New Testament Allusions in Flannery O’Connor’s ‘Parker’s Back.’” The Flannery
O’Connor Review 6 (2008): 30-39 and “From Dishonor to Glory: Flannery O’Connor’s
Pauline Allusions in ‘Judgment Day’” Intégrité: A Journal of Faith and Learning 5.2
(2006): 45-53.
I would like to further acknowledge the amazing editors, staff, and crew at
Bloomsbury. They were so supportive and were great to work with, and without them,
this project would not be possible.
Finally, I would like to thank my wife for her support and encouragement, for
allowing Flannery O’Connor to remain as the “other woman” in our marriage. She
read multiple drafts, printed off many, many copies of the book, helped in the editing
process, and listened to me talk incessantly about O’Connor. Thank you so much for
your support.