Flannery O'Connor's Stories Lesson Plan

Flannery O'Connor's short stories are seen as important works in Southern Gothic literature. Southern Gothic usually has elements of the grotesque and the supernatural, using delusional characters as a lens through which to view the social problems of the American South at the time. O'Connor often focuses on the agrarian life of rural whites, using the characters' dialogue to reveal their prejudices, concerns, and ideologies. Each story is vibrant with detail: although the stories only show small segments of the characters' lives, the reader comes away with the feeling that she knows the arc of their lives. A devout Catholic, O'Connor uses her stories as vehicles to...