Saturday, May 16, 2020

The Genre of Southern Gothic in A Good Man Is Hard to...

â€Å"When you cross the sweeping drama of romance with the macabre isolation of small town life-and then throw in a touch of Southern whimsy-you’ve cooked up a collection of American literature absolutely unique in time, place, and sentiment, Southern gothic.† Southern gothic comes from the genre of gothic fiction, and has some type of supernatural or unusual events in it. It is characterized as having a grotesque quality yet still having enough good in it to keep readers interested. The short story, â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† by Mary Flannery O’Connor, is often considered a perfect example of Southern gothic writing. In â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†, O’Connor has characters typical of Southern gothic. Characters in this genre are†¦show more content†¦He questions himself and his religious beliefs, only truly believing what he sees. â€Å"‘I wasn’t there so I can’t say He didn’t’ Th e Misfit said. ‘I wish I had of been there,’ he said hitting the ground with his fist. ‘It ain’t right I wasn’t there because if I had been there I would of known.† (O’Connor 1041) The Misfit finds a lesson in all of his actions and is consistent in his morality, unlike the grandmother. He commits crimes, though does so believing that they are right and they do not matter. The main characters all come in contact with one another when the grandmother and her family are driving for a vacation in Florida, they get in a car accident and encounter the Misfit. They live in Georgia and the day before they left the grandmother was reading about the Misfit and trying to talk the family into going to Tennessee instead so that they would not chance being around him. The grandmother really wants to go to Tennessee to see her friends, but the dramatic irony of them actually meeting the Misfit and the situation they get in, is another typical ch aracteristic of Southern writing. The situational irony of the grandmother becoming a good, enlightened person after the short conversation she has with the Misfit in the story also shows how it is in the genre of southern gothic. She reaches out to him, after realizing that she is a sinner, and tries to redeem herself. She dies with a smile on her face because she becameShow MoreRelatedGothic Literature : The Southern Gothic Fiction1476 Words   |  6 Pagescharacters combined with southern charm and the ever-present gender divide to tell stories that represent a writing style known as southern gothic literature. â€Å"Southern Gothic is a subgenre of Gothic fiction unique to American literature that takes place exclusively in the American South. Elements of a Gothic treatment of the South were apparent in the 19th century, ante- and post-bellum, in the grotesques of Henry Clay Lewis and the de-idealized visions of Mark Twain.[3] The genre came together, howeverRead MoreAnaly sis Of The Poem Southern Gothic 1566 Words   |  7 PagesMyszkowski English 1102 17 April 2016 Southern Gothic Literature In the 19th century, the Southern Gothic genre quickly became popular after Edgar Allen Poe poems in the 18th century. Most writings were formed around the Civil War era, which plays an enormous part in the tone and setting in Southern Gothic writing styles. (O’Connell 63) Southern Gothic writing elements consist of â€Å"horror, romance and psychological and domestic dramas† (63). The setting of Southern Gothic was always dingy and dark whichRead MoreSouthern Gothic Literature And Deranged Characters Essay1357 Words   |  6 PagesSouthern Gothic Literature and Deranged Characters â€Å"Southern Gothic Literature is a genre that focuses on grotesque themes that involve troubled and deranged main characters, while sometimes including elements found from the supernatural† (study.com P1). The following short stories had authors that played a tremendous role in the southern gothic literature genre, and inspired many authors to follow their style. From necrophilia to serial killers, southern gothic literature is a genre that is to beRead MoreA Good Man By Flannery O Connor874 Words   |  4 PagesLife Gothic genres are often characterized by themes including hypocrisy, death, racism, among others. The plainspoken, comic- cartoon-ish, blunt, and obvious short story writer, Flannery O’Connor, in her short story â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find,† bring about the perfect example of Gothic fiction. The story is about an escaped mentally-ill criminal dubbed The Misfit- who crossed path with a fatal family. The main characters, The Grandmother, June Star, The Misfit and even Bailey among othersRead MoreCharacteristics Of Southern Gothic Literature1694 Words   |  7 PagesJordan Cole English 1102 Professor Myszkowski 1 December 2017 Southern Gothic Literature Throughout the course of history, literature has gone through considerable changes. Dating back to its humble beginnings in folklore, fables, and storytelling all the way up to the scientific books and dramatic novels of today. Literature is arguably the centerpiece of all mankind. It is useful for record keeping, education, and bringing cultures and societies together. It has allowed us to expand our mindsRead MoreGothic Fiction Genre in Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe and Flannery O’ Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find571 Words   |  2 Pages–â€Å"Tell Tale Heart† by Edgar Allen Poe The Gothic fiction genre has been known for its gory and gruesome imagery ever since the 1800s. This genre has flourished from one generation to another into many other sub-genres including the Southern Gothic. With â€Å"Tell Tale Heart† Edgar Allen Poe out does himself with his incredibly brutal descriptions as seen in the quote above. In an ongoing battle of self versus alter ego, the narrator confesses a love for an old man who he then violently murders and dismembersRead MoreSouthern Gothic Style in Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find1478 Words   |  6 Pagesliterature refers to written or literary work produced in the area of the United States and Colonial America. It has many forms and different kinds of authors within its genre. One American author, Flannery OConnor, is known for her Southern Gothic style of writing. In her short story, A Good Man is Hard to Find OConnor uses the Southern Gothic style, brought on by her background, to establi sh various ties between the characters and their actions. Flannery OConnor was born in Savannah, GeorgiaRead MoreA Rose For Emily By William Faulkner976 Words   |  4 PagesThe way that â€Å"A Rose for Emily† fits into the genre of Southern Gothic literature is obvious in the mood of the story. The mood of this story has a rather volatile, grim setting with the house that is deteriorating and the festering body. This exhibits the struggle that the character Miss Emily is facing against a society that is rather oppressive. From staying the same for years, to avoiding modern amenities, Miss Emily could be assumed to represent tradition. The story even states, â€Å"Miss EmilyRead MoreCompare And Contrast A Rose For Emily And Southern Gothic1629 Words   |  7 Pages Southern Gothic literature is a sub-genre of the Gothic writing style. It is unique to Southern America. Southern gothic style is a style of writing that engages very ugly and ironic events to study the value of the American south and its people. In this essay, I’m going to go over each story and give some details about the authors and their backgrounds. On one page, I will be comparing and contrasting all three stories. I will show how they’re similar through tone, plot, and scene in the storyRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado, By Edgar Allan Poe Essay1144 Words   |  5 PagesThe Antagonists in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† and â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† In â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† by Edgar Allan Poe and in â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find,† by Flannery O’Connor, the two central figures that drive the plot, and add the most cohesion to their respective stories are Montresor and The Misfit. Poe and O’Connor knew the importance of catching and maintaining the reader’s attention, so they did so through crafting the perfect flawed villains. Without these similar yet inherently

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.