Flannery O'Connor, born #OTD in 1925.
In my latest blog post, I'm sharing a short selection of films and other resources on this amazing Southern author - one of the best representatives of the Southern Gothic genre. (And one of my all-time favourite writers! ❤️)
https://grammaticus.blog/2026/03/25/films-flannery/
#flanneryoconnor #literature #americanliterature #southerngothic #englishteacher
Films and documentaries on Flannery O’Connor
One of the writers I keep coming back to is Flannery O’Connor, a woman whose novels and short stories are as fascinating as her personal life. A devout Roman Catholic living in the evangelical Bible Belt, her writing is marked by regional influences and social contradictions of the Deep South.
Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964)My first encounter with O’Connor was through her 1953 short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” — I remember it as a deeply unsettling read, yet so memorable for the atmosphere, the ethical questions it poses, and the religious aspect that was so important to her, in both her public and private life. That short story also happened to be my personal introduction to the Southern Gothic genre, of which Flannery O’Connor is one of the finest representatives.
In this post, similar to an earlier article on Emily Dickinson, I’ll present several easily accessible films and documentaries on this amazing author that I think would be a good introduction to her life and works.
This episode of the celebrated American Masters series is the first feature-length documentary on O’Connor, made in the best tradition of classic PBS documentaries. The production team had full access to the Flannery O’Connor Trust, so the documentary provides a lot of detail, as well as rare archival footage. It premiered in 2021, and depending on where you are in the world, you may be able to access it via the PBS website, or on YouTube. To watch the official trailer, click here.
Bishop Barron Presents: Understanding Flannery with Ethan and Maya Hawke
Bishop Robert Barron is a prominent public speaker, author and theologian, with a sizeable online and digital presence. In this insightful episode of the Bishop Barron Presents series, he and his guests discuss O’Connor’s short stories, her faith, and intriguing bits of information about her private life.
They also talk about the film Wildcat — a 2023 biographical drama directed by Ethan Hawk, with Maya Hawke starring as Flannery. (I haven’t had the chance to watch it yet, but here’s the trailer.)
Flannery O’Connor Reads “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”
There are quite a few recordings of O’Connor’s most anthologised short story out there, but this one is a special treat, as you get to hear it narrated in her own voice. Recorded in 1959 at Vanderbilt University, hearing her Southern accent alone brings that extra something.
Commissioned by the National Endowment for the Humanities and released in 1976, this short film is based on O’Connor’s story by the same title. At the very beginning, there’s a brief introduction by Henry Fonda. Apparently, the film was made at Flannery’s actual home in Milledgeville, Georgia, where she lived from 1940 until her untimely death from lupus in 1964.
If you have any other film or TV tips in connection with Flannery O’Connor, or indeed any thoughts on her and her writings, please do share them in the comments sections below!
NOTES
I’m a freelance language tutor (English, Latin, Classical Greek), researcher, and a literary scholar currently based in Belgrade, Serbia.
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You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you odd.
-- Flannery O'Connor
⬆ #Wisdom #Quotes #FlanneryOConnor #Truth
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HAPPY HEAVENLY BIRTHDAY TO ALEX CHILTON + SUNDAY MATINEE MUSIC VIDEO “Soul Deep” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0PeiKGpEsQ
#birthday #alexchilton #boxtops #souldeep #soul #bigstar #memphis #neworleans #letter #psychedelic #danpenn #spooneroldham #chipsmoman #bubblegum #flanneryoconnor #bangles #cheaptrick #beachboys #brianwilson #tavfalco #pantherburns #psychobilly #thecramps #garytalley #waynecarsonthompson #eddyarnold #garyusbonds #ginblossoms #robertflack #johnnyjblair #singeratlarge #singersongwriter
"A propos des problèmes féministes, je vous avoue que je n'y réfléchis guère, c'est-à-dire que je me soucie peu de répartir les qualités humaines en celles qui sont spécifiquement féminines ou masculines. Il me semble que je divise les gens eu deux catégories : les Ennuyeux et les autres, sans que le sexe intervienne. Mais il y a aussi les Demi-Ennuyeux et les Ennuyeux Définitifs."
A "A", 22 septembre 1956.
L'habitude d'être
"Si Flannery O Connor dépeint des violeurs, des meurtriers, des vagabonds, sur fond de crise économique et de défiance entre les générations, personne n’échappe à sa levée du voile et surtout pas la classe moyenne américaine bien sous tous rapport. Jeunes mariés, enfants, adolescents, simples d’esprit, grands-parents, elle nous invite à ne pas nous fier aux apparences et lève le voile sur la banalité du mal, la pitié dangereuse, le rationalisme aporétique, l’antisémitisme diffus, le mépris quotidien, le paternalisme usuel."
Meurtriers, vendeurs de bibles ambulants, prédicateurs nihilistes… Avec une bonne dose d’humour noir et de violence, Flannery O’Connor eut à cœur de démasquer la bonne conscience américaine, de donner à voir ces instants décisifs où l’homme se sauve ou se damne.
“If the fact that I am a ‘celebrity’ makes you feel silly, what dear girl do you think it makes me feel? It’s a comic distinction shared with Roy Rogers’s horse and Miss Watermelon of 1958. In a great many ways it makes things difficult, for the only friends you can have are old friends or new ones who are willing to ignore it” (Flannery O’Connor, in a December 1955 letter; ‘The Habit of Being,’ pp. 125f).
I don't deserve any credit for turning the other cheek as my tongue is always in it.
Flannery O'Connor
Just read Flannery O'Connor's A Prayer Journal. It is extremely short: though the printed book has about 100 pages, the journal only occupies 38 pages (with large spaces...); the rest is introduction and scanned images of the actual journal. It's pretty clear that it was never intended for publication. The best bit is the end: "Today I have proved myself a glutton - for Scotch oatmeal cookies and erotic thought. There is nothing left to say of me."
hugo.
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