Questions About The Complete Stories

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Answered Questions (3)

Too bad we can't ask. But I do know that once someone asked Flannery O'Conner "Why do you write?" Her answer, "Because I'm good at it." Another time at a reading she did, a woman in the audience said, "That leaves a bad taste in my mouth," and O'Conner answered, "You were suppose to read it, not eat it." My fav short story is "Whatever Rises Must Converge."

Rui It's not really a question, but thank you for sharing these quotes. I think they are quite representative of the introverted perfectionist O'Conner wa…moreIt's not really a question, but thank you for sharing these quotes. I think they are quite representative of the introverted perfectionist O'Conner was. She did not write to please the reader, or to gain recognition (like many of the characters in her stories). She dedicated her life perfecting little by little the art of translating human nature onto paper. To me, each story feels like a punch in the stomach, and reading through this complete collection feels like getting punched repeatedly. But somehow I'm loving it, and I want to keep reading.(less)

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Was she a racist, or did she write about racists and racist society? How much was she a part of the culture and how much was she a reporter of it?

Greg Such a tough question, and what I mean is it's a tough question in and of itself. O'Connor is a lot of things. So am I. So are you, Craig, as you know…moreSuch a tough question, and what I mean is it's a tough question in and of itself. O'Connor is a lot of things. So am I. So are you, Craig, as you know. We are all lots of things. So O'connor is a writer, a southern woman (born in North America) pre-Civil Rights. she is educated, etc., and has a certain point of view. I think she wrote about her real world. No one ever knows everything about anyone else. (less)

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aside from "A Good Man..." and "Everything that Rises..." Which stories are must reads? (I am choosing this for my book club selection, but want to assign a few stories for everyone to read, with the option of reading the others.)