Flannery O'Connor and the Scandal of Faith

By: Jessica Hooten Wilson, The Great Courses

Narrated 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.

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The author reading her own book.

It’s a great introduction to an author I’m just learning about. Dr. Hooten-Wilson is the perfect person for this task.

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. ****

Develop Taste

A nice apologetic for doing more reading… Perhaps I see what I want to see: more excuses to read, but my bias hardly proves reading to be without merit

Fascinating life cut short

Narrator is excellent and she tackles tough questions with fairness and integrity. For someone not familiar with O’Connor’s work, this Audible Original is a great introduction to her depth, prowess, and times.

Flannery O’Connor and the scandal of faith

Very interesting introduction to Flannery O’Connor’s stories and novels. Interesting information about her life, influences, and literary significance.

Clearly portrayed

The lecturer’s positions are clearly portrayed while not sliding into didacticism. The lecturer cites interesting facts to illuminate the writings of Flannery O’Conner.

Illuminating

I have read all of Flannery's stories and novels, but often had trouble figuring out what the point of the story was. These lectures give me the tools to go back and reread and now see what Flannery is doing. O'Connor is an impressive author as it is, but after listening to these lectures I will appreciate her even more.

Grossly unprofessional reading

Reader had this sing-songy time with odd stresses of words mid-sentence that was completely distracting. Not worth the free cost. Leaves me in bad mood.