Southern Gothic Literature Research Paper

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 “horror, romance and psychological and domestic dramas” (63). The setting of Southern Gothic was always dingy and dark which explains the tone of most southern states at this time. Southern Gothic writing styles were known to be grotesque, violent and gloomy with dark psychological twists that were to be carried on into the 20th century. There can also be other ways to exercise Southern Gothic styles like including strange events, paranormal elements and representing history in an almost comical approach. (63) There are some authors who have written very influential Southern Gothic style literature, such as A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, A Good Man is Hard to Find and Good Country People by Flannery O’Conner.

Miss Strangeworth’s character can be analyzed by what she does. Miss Strangeworth is selfish. She is selfish because she won’t give away a few of her roses. For example, “Miss Strangeworth never gave away any of her roses, although the tourists asked her.” Another way she is selfish is that she believes the town is hers. In addition, “She was seventy-one, Miss Strangeworth told the tourists, with a pretty little dimple showing on her lip, and she sometimes found herself thinking that the town belonged to her.” As a result, Miss strangeworth can be analyzed as selfish.

In William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily,” and Flannery O’Connor’s “A good man is hard to find,” both authors present main characters who are contrasting to the people in their society. In Faulkner’s work, Emily Grierson is an outsider because she hides herself from the people in town for more than thirty years. They have no clue that she has kept homers body in her home for so long until the day she dies. Also, in O’Connor’s work, the grandmother describes herself as a Pure, good woman but her actions contradict her by proving she’s manipulative and evil. In this way, both characters are outsiders by choosing not to show their true identities to their respective societies.

In the O'Connor story, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," Southern Gothic literature is portrayed. Southern Gothic literature paints a picture of what life was like in the "Old South" and also includes bizarre turns of events and outlandish characters. The grandmother, is the protagonist, and the main character of O'Connor's story, about a family that travel on a vacation together and lose their lives by "The Misfit," a random man on the side of the road. The grandmother, who remains unnamed for the duration of the story, demonstrates a "her way or the highway" type of personality. The family is going on vacation to Florida, but she has relatives she wants to visit in Tennessee. So, instead of just asking her son, Bailey, if they could go to Tennessee instead, she cleverly attempts to trick him by saying, "Here this fellow that calls himself The Misfit is aloose from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida and you read here what it says he did to these people" (O'Connor). She then, continues her devious plot, by referring to the safety of Bailey's children, when she states, "I wouldn't take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it. I couldn't answer to my conscience if I did" (O'Connor). That didn't go as planned, so she tries again, implying that it has nothing to do with her, but the kids have already been to Florida. Throughout the story, Bailey's mother continues the same type of tactics to get her way. For example, she mentions that, at the old house in Tennessee, "There was a secret panel in this house," she said craftily, not telling the truth but wishing that she were, "and the story went that all the family silver was hidden in it when Sherman came through but it was never found . . ." (O'Connor).

In “The Possibility of Evil,” Shirley Jackson gives us a character who seems to be the town's most respected and longest established resident, but who actually has a dark and destructive side. Her pride in the town may be the first foreshadowing clue of what she is truly like. Miss Strangeworth describes how her grandfather built the very first house on pleasant, street, and that she “.... family has lived here for better than a hundred years.”  She even admits to thinking the town …. Belonged to her (Jackson 1). This evidence is important because it shows how Miss Strangeworth feels she is different, perhaps better than other townspeople. From

Throughout the story, some community members realize Miss Strangeworth is a bitter and insensitive old woman, whose intentions to rid of evil backfire and end up creating more trouble for her. Firstly, Miss Strangeworth writes insensitive and harsh letters to community members, writing letters to her neighbors with her unwanted opinions. Miss Strangeworth writes a letter to the same young couple that asks for her guidance, “DIDN’T YOU EVER SEE AN IDIOT CHILD BEFORE? SOME PEOPLE JUST SHOULDN’T HAVE CHILDREN, SHOULD THEY?”(3). Here, Miss Strangeworth expresses her harsh words to the young couple about their child. She feels like she is giving them the right advice to raise a child and rid evil from her community, but her harsh words are hurting her neighbors and creating more trouble for them. Secondly, Miss Strangeworth feels like she is ridding her town of evil and is the only saviour for the community. Miss Strangeworth thinks it’s her “duty to keep her town alert…there were so many wicked people in the world” (3). Miss Strangeworth thinks of herself as the only one attempting to prevent evil as there is too much evil in the world now days. She feels as if she is doing her job and there is nothing wrong with what she is doing. Lastly, as Miss Strangeworth thinks very highly of her

Southern gothic is a type of literature that focuses on the harsh conflicts of violence and racism, which is observed in the perspective of black and white individuals. Some of the most familiar southern authors are William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, and Cormac McCarthy. One author in particular, Flannery O’Connor, is a remarkable author, who directly reflects upon southern grotesque within her two short stories, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and “Revelation.” These two short stories are very similar to each other, which is why I believe that O’Connor often writes with violent characters to expose real violence in the world while tying them in with a particular spiritual insight.

The definition of evil is being sinful, wrong and mostly being immoral. Miss Strangeworth is an evil human being. I believe this because she doesn’t talk to Linda Stewart when she was crying, she wrote a letter to someone that was about to have surgery and talked bad about the doctors and lastly, she wrote a secret letter to Mrs. Harper talking about how people talk about her and don’t tell her the news around town. The first reason of why Miss Strangeworth is evil because she is supposed to be the nice; good women in town, but once she saw a little girl crying, she didn’t stop help her or nothing. She just joked around about it in her head.

To prove this, Miss Strangeworth is easily the most respected and recognized person in town, to the point where she knows everyone, and everyone knows her. People easily recognize her, as shown in this quote: “When she [Miss Strangeworth] came into the grocery, half a dozen people turned away from the shelves and counters to wave at her or call out good morning” (Jackson 2). Another proof describing how Miss Strangeworth is kind is how she treats people in a reassuring way; when people are worried, Miss Strangeworth is caring and supportive. For example, when Miss Strangeworth’s friend Helen Crane is worried whether or not her baby should be starting to sit up on her own, Miss Strangeworth responds with “Nonsense. All babies are different. Some of them develop much more quickly than others” (Jackson 3). One last proof that shows that Miss Strangeworth is very kind lady is how she is very aware of other people’s lives, and thinking about them. Miss Strangeworth seems to be a caring person overall, taking interest in each and every one’s lives. When talking to her friend Mrs. Harper, she becomes rather concerned about her overall health: “Miss Strangeworth wondered, glancing at her quickly, if she had been taking proper care of herself. Martha Harper was not as young as she used to be, Miss Strangeworth thought” (Jackson

Southern Gothic literature has rooted itself in American culture and created several classic short stories that have pushed literary boundaries and minds. Among the most influential of these Southern Gothic stories is “A Rose for Emily”, by William Faulkner; “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, and “Good Country People”, both by Flannery O’Connor. After first discussing what characteristics make up the genre of Southern Gothic, each of these stories will be evaluated and discussed in terms of what makes each of them a prime example of Southern Gothic literature.

The first way Miss Strangeworth’s character can be analyzed is by considering what she does. Judging by her actions in the story, Miss Strangeworth is friendly. For instance, she greets everyone she sees each morning. The story states, “Walking down Main Street on a summer morning, Miss Strangeworth had to stop every minute or so to say good morning to someone or

A Regional Genre: Southern Gothic American Literature was shaped in part by the traditions of the Southern Gothic Literature genre by granting outsiders an inside look into the South. This genre of literature includes concepts of unrequited love, being an outsider, class, race, and social structure, violence, and good vs. evil. Stories like “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor, “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson, and “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner are all examples of the southern gothic writing style. The traits of this genre are clearly portrayed through the characters of the stories, their lifestyle molded by their location, and their actions. “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor, tells of a family who all gets murdered at the hands of an escaped felon after The Grandmother had unintentionally led them all to him.

Though the short stories “A Rose for Emily” and “A Good Man is Hard to Find” differ in plot, theme, voice, and many other aspects, both contain similar characters and settings. The authors of these highly acclaimed Southern Gothic works, have skillfully and eloquently created intricate characters and imagery that portray many elements of Southern life. Flannery O’Connor’s, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” tells of the tragic events that take place during a family’s road trip to Tennessee, which ultimately ends in their unsightly demise at the hands of a notorious

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 minds by painting a picture of the beautiful places this world has to offer outside of our corners of the earth. One genre of literature I find especially intriguing is Southern Gothic Literature. It is a subclass of gothic fiction, specifically set

Finally, she is rude because of the anonymous letters she sends to her neighbours. These three actions make her character appear very negative and unfavourable. Firstly, Miss Strangeworth thinks she owns the town that she lives in. This is because her grandfather built the first house on Pleasant Street and her grandmother planted the roses which tourists are attracted to while visiting the town.