Grace & Necessity- Flannery O'Connor

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This portion of the book focuses on Flannery O'Connor, an important voice in American literature; a successful writer and essayist. 

A little bit about Flannery O'Connor:

- Lived from March 1925- August 1964

- Wrote two novels and 32 short stories, as well as several reviews/commentaries

- Southern Gothic writing style dependent upon regional settings and grotesque characters

- Roman Catholic faith tradition

- Frequently raised questions of ethics and morality

- Won U.S. National Book Award for Fiction in 1972

- Won Best of the National Book Awards in 2009

Here are a couple quotes of O'Connor's that I found interesting, and that are truly representative of her work and style:

"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it." 

"To expect too much is to have a sentimental view of life and this is a softness that ends in bitterness."

"All my stories are about the action of grace on a character who is not very willing to support it, but most people think of these stories as hard, hopeless, and brutal." 

Here is a link to one of her most well known short stories- A Good Man is Hard to Find

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~drbr/goodman.html

 

Finally, here are some thoughts and excerpts from Grace and Necessity that I found interesting, along with explanations: 

"Strangle that word 'dreams'...You don't dream up a form and put the truth in it. The truth creates its own form." (Rowan 98)

- I think this quote is interesting because, the way I see it, God is truth and he reveals his truth in many ways. But no matter what, his truth is always told and revealed. So instead of coming up with a concept that has a specific message, true or false, I should just create work and know that the work will, in a sense, speak for itself. But also the idea that as you create work with "the truth" in mind, it will naturally flow into each piece. This way we don't have to try to "put the truth" in our work.   

"To believe nothing is to see nothing, and every artist, like it or not, works with a framework of assumptions about humanity and its world." (Rowan 99)

-  This quote is very profound to me, and so true. We all have our views of the world and reasons for living the way that we do. Each of us has thoughts, doubts, and/or spiritual encounters which can reflect themselves on our work. It all comes down to being able to identify what those experiences and assumptions are and how the affect our work. But the idea that to believe nothing is to see nothing is so profound to me because my values, life experiences, and faith have such a huge role in my art making. So to say that you don't have that belief system in place and that you just "make art for the sake of making art" I believe is fallacy.

"...the usually hidden otherness of God is not limited by the visible, though they are in conceivable without the visible." (Rowan 103)

- I think this quote is well phrased. God is so much bigger than what we see, yet what we see is such a great part of God. Understanding that He is here, visibly through nature and whatever beauty is left of humanity, but also elsewhere, in a mysterious realm unbeknownst to us.  

"Freedom is at work both in art and prudence... but there is a difference between the choices that a person makes for the good of their soul and the choices made for the good of the work." (Rowan 124)

- I've never really given this idea a whole lot of thought. Whether I am making my art for the betterment of my soul, or for the benefit of the art. I guess doing something for the good of the work would look like creating a piece that supported and encouraged the work back towards it's original creator. The idea that is talked about earlier in the book, of changing the world back to its original self. Or perhaps creating work that supports the truth told my other creations and pieces. I'm not quite sure I know what the means, but I am very attracted to the idea of creating art for the soul!  

"The ethic of the artist, if we can speak in such terms, is detachment, dispossession of the desire to hold everything inside your own head." (Rowan 126)

-  The first thing that come to mind when I read this quote, if an artists temptation to hide the concepts that they come up with out of fear that they will get stolen, or criticized. However, I think what he is trying to get at is the idea of surrendering not only concepts and ideas, but also values and strengths to the discernment of a greater community than self.

"The irony is that the gift of life is the gift of daily 'terror', the terror of being aware of reality in the light of God." (Rowan 121)

- The idea of living in God's presence and living for God are intimidating to say the least. To live knowing that he is watching and holding us accountable for our actions. That the things we say and the things we create have real weight in the Kingdom. This is bizarre to think about, but it really is a big deal.

"I think [O'Connor] would respond by saying that the artist has an obligation to find the tone or register in which she can actually be heard, and an artist presenting a Christian universe cannot be shock. This must be defensible so long as it is actually a strategy for truth, not a flexing of the artistic muscles for its own sake." (Rowan 128)

- This quote was extremely convicting for me personally, because while I do often create work with the goal and hope of presenting truth, more often than not I create work to get reactions out of others. I want to come up with interesting stories and concepts that will shock others into understanding where I am coming from. But maybe shock isn't always the best tactic.

 Sources: 

- http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/flannery-oconnor-1925-1964

- http://www.biography.com/people/flannery-oconnor-9426760

- http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/f/flannery_oconnor.html

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flannery_O%27Connor

Williams, Rowan. Grace and Necessity: Reflections on Art and Love. London: Continuum, 2005