Flannery O'Connor and Cold War Culture (Cambridge Studies in American Literature and Culture) [Hardcover]

Jon Lance Bacon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 28, 1994 | ISBN-10: 0521445299 | ISBN-13: 978-0521445290

This book reconsiders Flannery O'Connor, known primarily for her Catholicism. By recovering the historical circumstances in which Flannery O'Connor wrote her fiction, Jon Lance Bacon reveals an artist concerned with the cultural effects of the conflict that dominated American political discourse after 1945: the Cold War. O'Connor resisted the consensus that demanded uncritical celebration of American life - including consumerism. Bacon relates her fiction to political texts, sociological studies, advertisements, movies, television programmes, paintings, editorial cartoons and comic books. This interdisciplinary approach transforms O'Connor from a regional writer, with a religious message that transcends social and political questions, into a national figure, with a secure place in literary histories that address such questions.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Bacon] convincingly demonstrates that the Cold War ethos of the 1950s was the milieu amidst which and against which Flannery O'Connor defined herself and her work...[A] suggestive and valuable book..." Ralph C. Wood, Religion & Literature "From time to time, in fact, one hears that there has been too much criticism written about O'Connor. Reading Jon Lance Bacon's new study of O'Connor, however, makes one feel that O'Connor's mysteries are inexhaustible...Bacon deserves substantial credit for making us aware how thoroughly O'Connor's works can be read as responses to the social issues of her day. Bacon provides a wealth of background material on Cold War culture (including reprints of numerous illustrations from popular media) and explains the ways in which we may begin to reread O'Connor in this fresh context...[A]ny teacher or student of O'Connor's works should be enlightened and inspired by Bacon's approach. Through Bacon's lenses, O'Connor maintains her magical power while also coming to seem a less marginal figure than before." Marshall Bruce Gentry, Studies in Short Fiction "...a fascinating and provocative reading...Flannery O'Connor and Cold War Culture stands as one of the most exciting and original books on O'Connor in recent years." Robert H. Brinkmeyer, Jr., Journal of American Studies "Jon Lance Bacon's 'Flannery O'Connor and Cold War Culture' is no disappointment, for it indeed provides a new and revealing approach to O'Connor, one that focuses predominantly on the social contexts out of which her work evolved, particularly the discourses of the cold war." Will Brantley, Contemporary Literature

Book Description

This book reconsiders Flannery O'Connor, known primarily for her Catholicism. By recovering the historical circumstances in which Flannery O'Connor wrote her fiction, Jon Lance Bacon reveals an artist concerned with the cultural effects of the conflict that dominated American political discourse after 1945: the Cold War.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 188 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (January 28, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521445299
• ISBN-13: 978-0521445290
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,175,515 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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