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Essay about Flannery O'Connor

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Flannery O'Connor

Mary Flannery O'Connor was born in Savannah, Georgia, on March 25, 1925. Until she graduated in 1945 she was known as Mary Flannery. At this point she felt that Mary Flannery didnt seem suitable, on one occasion she described it as sounding like the name of an Irish washerwoman. From this point on, she was known as just Flannery OConnor. Flannery is most recognized for her short stories but at the same time had great interest in cartooning and drawing. She would paint over any cracks in the walls of her home so that her mother would not cover them up with paintings from relatives. As a student at Georgia State College for women Flannery displayed her interests in art by painting murals on the walls of the student …show more content…

While living at this residence Flannery became sick with a incurable disease known as Lupus. After coming to terms with her illness OConnor returned home to Geogia where she concentrated most of her efforts on writing and less on cartooning. Wise Blood, her first novel, was finished in 1952, this was an extraordinary achievement for her. Considering her belief that she would pass away in the preceding 3 years, OConnor devoted most of her time to writing her short stories. After surprisingly living to see the end of the third year Flannery had completed nine short stories.

Most of what is known about Flannery after she moved back to Georgia is relayed through her correspondence with friends and people who admired her work. One person in particular who became very close with Flannery was a fan who had developed a friendship and companionship over an eight year period through the exchange of 250 letters. In 1979, Flannerys close friend Sally Fitzgerald published The Habit of Being. She used the letters that had been shared between the two friends to help document Flannerys life. The anonymous friend OConnor had exchanged the letters with throughout the years was not revealed until 1998 when she took her own life. It was at this point that the public had learned the true identity of Betty Hester, the mystery correspondent.

Flannery exceeded her expectation of only living three years. While continuing to write throughout her illness, she completed two

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