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Flannery O’Connor, a la Shmoop Well, hello there.

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I am… “the Misfit.” [Man wearing Hawaiian shirt, trilby and glasses]

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No…I don’t live on that island from the Rudolph Christmas special.

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Although…that flying lion dude seems pretty cool. [Lion with wings and a crown]

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Maybe I should look into getting a timeshare there.

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Okay. Getting off topic.

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You’re here…voluntarily or involuntarily…to learn about Flannery O’Connor. [Flannery O'Connor stood next to a house]

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As one of her most chilling creations, I feel like I’m a good man for the job.

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O’Connor’s writing was what they call Southern Gothic. [Goth wearing makeup and blue hair]

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Like Northern Gothic but uh… with more of a twang…

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Rooted firmly in the American South, O’Connor’s stories incorporate grotesque and horrifying [Monster stood in moonlight]

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elements.

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She died before hitting 40, so her collected works are just two novels and several dozen

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short stories.

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Not a lot to write home about. [Picture of all her novels]

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Still, her talent makes her one of the most famous figures in American literature.

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She was born on March 25, 1925 in Savannah, Georgia. [Georgia circled on a map]

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She grew up in a rural farm, raising chickens and…even sewing outfits for them to wear. [Chicken wearing a coat]

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Hey…you try growing up in 1920’s Georgia and finding ways to keep yourself entertained… [Boy holding a stick and a hoop]

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In 1941, O’Connor’s father Edward died of lupus. [Edward collapsing]

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At the time there was no effective treatment, and to this day there is still no cure. [Doctor holding a flask]

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Sad, but…for a writer, at least “sad” means some good writing material… [Flannery O'Connor smiling next to a grave yard]

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In 1942, she enrolled at Georgia State College for Women.

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She worked as a writer and editor for the school literary magazine, and, like the true

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overachiever that she was, graduated in three years. [O'Connor wearing her graduation gown]

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She then enrolled at the University of Iowa for a graduate degree in Journalism.

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This was back when “newspapers” were still a thing. [Man reading a newspaper outside]

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People actually used to read newspapers, on paper itself...

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O’Connor soon realized the program didn’t fit her, and asked if she could transfer to [O'Connor speaking to the university]

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the school’s prestigious creative writing program.

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This was back before Fox News and MSNBC were hiring… [Navy officer on the news]

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After getting her M.F.A. in 1947, she moved to Saratoga Springs, New York to work at Yaddo,

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the prestigious artist’s colony. [O'Connor in front of Yaddo]

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Their official slogan: “Yaddo or ya don’t.

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There is no try.”

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Thanks, Yoda.

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(No problem) [Yoda appears]

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Sadly, in 1950, O’Connor was diagnosed with the same form of lupus that killed her father. [O'Connor at the doctors]

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The only treatment was a regimen of drugs that made her feel even worse than the lupus did. [O'Connor holding a giant pill]

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Still, she gave it the old college try.

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In 1951, she moved back to her mother’s farm in Midgeville, Georgia. [O'Connor stood on a farm field]

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There she developed a writing routine that allowed her to also spend time with the chickens

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and peacocks.

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And yes…make them clothes. [Peacock wearing a jacket]

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No one likes a peacock when it’s chilly…

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In 1952, O’Connor published her novel Wise Blood, featuring a number of grotesque images. [Stephen King's face on a spider]

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Eat your heart out there, Stephen King.

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The book shocked critics, but her talent was undeniable, and with that novel she officially [Guy looks excited about the book]

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arrived on the American literature scene. [O'Connor drives a car into a pile of books]

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A few years later, O’Connor published a collection of short stories titled A Good

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Man is Hard to Find.

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Before they even knew what it was about, Lifetime was hounding her for the TV rights… [O'Connor speaking to a Lifetime TV producer]

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Anyway…yours truly happens to be a character of some importance in the title story of the

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collection, so… well, you should check it out. I still get a royalty...

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Besides, it’s probably better that you read about me than actually meet me. [The 'Misfit' in a library]

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I…rub some people the wrong way.

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All right, so O’Connor continued writing and winning awards and critical acclaim. [Awards appearing next to O'Connor]

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She was, quite suddenly, a really big deal.

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Unfortunately… her body failed her before her creativity did. [O'Connor in a hospital bed]

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In 1964 she had an operation to remove a tumor caused by the lupus, and…it didn’t work so well. [Doctors gathered round in a theatre]

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Her health declined rapidly over the next few months.

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She spent several days in a coma, and died on August 3, 1964 at just 39 years of age. [O'Connor dead on the hospital bed]

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Even after her death, O’Connor’s work kept winning awards, and in 1971, The Complete [Awards keep appearing]

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Stories of Flannery O’Connor won the National Book Award.

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I wouldn’t be surprised if she decided to come back and haunt the award ceremony… [O'Connor as a ghost]

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It definitely sounds like something I would do.

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