oconnor

GoodCountryPeopleThemeanalysisContentsIntroductiontoO’connorPlotsummaryandcharactersInfluenceandcomment1234Introductiontotheauthor•FlanneryO'Connor(March25,1925–August3,1964)•Americannovelist,short-storywriterandessayist.AndalsoanimportantvoiceinAmericanliterature.•HerCompleteStorieswonthe1972U.S.NationalBookAwardforFictionandwasnamedtheBestoftheNationalBookAwardsbyinternetvisitorsin2009.WhyisO’Connorsoimportant?•Veryoriginal:familytension–familyhorror(limitedtofamilysphere)•Thegoodvs.thebad•FemalewriterAboutherlife-BorninSavannah,Georgia,theonlychildofaCatholicfamily.-Hermother,ReginaO'Connor,camefromaprominentfamilyinthestate.-HighSchool,editedschoolmagazine;TheUniversityofIowa(attendedwriter'sworkshops).M.A.inliterature.-In1950O‘Connorsufferedherfirstattackfromdisseminatedlupus（狼疮），becamedeeplyreligious.Iwriteeverydayforatleasttwohours,andIspendtherestofmytimelargelyinthesocietyofducks.-diedonAugust3,1964,attheageof39Aboutherworks•thirty-onestories,twonovels,andsomespeechesandletters.–WiseBlood,1952-film1979,dir.byJohnHuston–TheViolentBearItAway,1960–AGoodManIsHardToFindandOtherStories,1955–EverythingThatRisesMustConverge,1965•FocusedonthedecayingSouthanditsdamnedpeople.•InaSouthernGothicstyleandreliedheavilyonregionalsettingsandgrotesquecharacters.•ReflectedherownRomanCatholicfaith,andfrequentlyexaminedquestionsofmoralityandethics.SouthernGothicism•Aliterarytraditionthatcameintolifeintheearlytwentiethcentury.•“Gothicwritersconcoctedwild,frighteningscenariosinwhichmysterioussecrets,supernaturaloccurrences,andcharacters’extremeduressconspiredtocreateabreathlessreadingexperience”(SparkNotesEditors).•focusedontheinsaneandgrotesque•thegenreoftenfeaturedcertainsetpiecesandcharactersReligiousinfluence•O’Connorwasnotmerelyawriter,butapreacherofRomanCatholic.•Violenceandredemption•thesalvationcanonlybereceivedthroughtheencounterwithsuddenviolencephysically.•“Manhasfallenirretrievably,sohumanitycanachieveconsummateonlythroughGod’sgraceandsympathyinsteadofhelplesspersonaleffort”(Fitzgerald232).•FlanneryO’ConnordescribedviolenceinhershortfictiontohelppeoplesearchforabestsolutionfromsinnerstoreturntobelieveinGod.•Peoplearelivinginthedarknessofsinsunconsciously.Theylosetheirreligiousbeliefandliveinawastelandofreligiouscrisis.•Onlyviolencecanrescuethemfromthespiritualhungers.BriefintroductiontoAGoodManIsHardtoFind:•Firstappearedintheauthor'sshortstorycollectionbythesamenamein1955.•Sincethen,ithasbecomeoneofO'Connor'smosthighlyregardedworksofshortfictionbecauseitexhibitsallthecharacteristicsforwhichsheisbestknown:acontrastofviolentactionwithhumorouslyandcarefullydrawncharactersandaphilosophythatunderscoresherdevoutRomanCatholicfaith.•CriticshaveadmiredtheproseandthewayO'ConnorinfusesthestorywithherCatholicbeliefabouttheroleGod'sgraceplaysinthelivesofordinarypeople.•Thestoryisdisturbingandhumorousatthesametime—aqualitysharedbymanyofO'Connor'sotherworks,includinghernovelsWiseBloodandTheViolentBearItAway.Plotsummary•GoodCountryPeopleisashortstorybyFlanneryO‘Connor.Itwaspublishedin1955inhershortstorycollectionAGoodManisHardtoFind《好人难找》.AdevoutRomanCatholic,O'Connoroftenusedreligiousthemesinherwork.Maincharacters•Mrs.HopewellAdivorcée,ownsafarm,andisthemotherofJoy/Hulga•Joy/HulgaHopewellMrs.Hopewell’sthirty-two-year-olddaughter,hasaPhDandawoodenleg•Mrs.FreemanLivesnextdoortoMrs.Hopewell,worksforMrs.Hopewellasatenantfarmer.•GlyneseFreemanMrs.Freeman’sdaughter,eighteen“withmanyadmirers”•CarramaeFreemanMrs.Freeman’sdaughter,fifteenbutmarriedandpregnant•ManleyPointerHeissalesmanwhosellsBible.•Mrs.HopewellownsafarminruralGeorgiawhichsherunswiththeassistanceofhertenants,Mr.andMrs.Freeman.Mrs.Hopewell'sdaughter,Joy,isthirtyyearsoldandlostherleginachildhoodaccident.JoyisanatheistandhasaPh.D.inphilosophybutseemsnon-sensibletohermother,andinanactofrebellionagainsthermother,JoychangedhernametoHulga,theugliestnameMrs.Hopewellcanimagine.•ABiblesalesman,purportedlynamedManlyPointer,visitsthefamilyandisinvitedfordinnerdespitetheHopewells'lackofinterestinpurchasingBibles.Mrs.HopewellbelievesManlyisgoodcountrypeople.Plot•Whileleavingthehome,PointerinvitesJoyforapicnicdatethenextevening,andsheironicallyimaginesseducingtheinnocentBiblesalesman.Duringthedate,hepersuadeshertogoupintothebarnloftwherehepersuadeshertoremoveherprostheticlegandtakesherglasses.Hethenproducesahollowed-outBiblecontainingabottleofwhiskey,sexcards,andsomecondoms.Hetriestogethertodrinksomeliquor,butsherebuffshisadvances.Atthatpointhedisappearswithherlegaftertellingherthathecollectsprosthesesfromdisabledpeopleandisanatheist.PlotThemoststrikingfeatureinthistext•In“GoodCountryPeople,”O‘Connorusesironyandafinelycontrolledcomicsensetorevealtheworldasitis-withoutvisionorknowledge.AsinO’Connor‘sshortstorylikeJoy\Hulga’scase,despiteheradvancedacademicdegrees,sheisunabletorecognizeeviluntilitistoolate.•Andthemostobviousexampleisthecharacters’namesandtheirfate.Analyzethemaincharacters1、Mrs.HopewellHerlabel---NothingisperfectThequoteactsasforeshadowingforwhatherattitudetowardslifewi