Archive for the 'Literature' Category
Novel: Wise Blood – Flannery O’Connor
My friend Sharon introduced me to Flannery O’Connor a few years ago. I can’t remember the name of the short story that I read, but I was immediately struck by her bleak and realist style of writing. It was thus with great anticipation that I recently began “Wise Blood” (1952), her first novel.
This novel was, for lack of a better word, creepy. She brings us into the minds of characters who are obsessed with their own strong and differing religious convictions. I think that the characters are truly inspired, but so misguided and confused that the results are horrifying. I was especially affected by the fine line she drew between those who truly believe and those who don’t, and how similar their actions sometimes are.
I felt like she knew her characters too well – not to the point of distraction; rather, it felt uncomfortable to have so much of their inner thoughts revealed. This isn’t a complaint! I think that it’s completely brilliant that she had the ability to communicate the unpleasant in a way that is both fascinating and disturbing. I have read of this book being described as a “comedy of the grotesque”, and I think that is a great way to describe it.
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