As we mark the transition from Modernist literature to Post Modernist, we are taking the time to pay special attention to a unique ‘bubble’ of literature that sprung up in response to the changing culture of the 1950’s and 1960’s, and the stolid culture of the American South – The Southern Gothic.

As culture changed rapidly in America between the 1950’s and the 1960’s, the ‘South’ was a unique place where the struggle between the ‘old ways’ and the ‘new ways’ played out in startling clarity – both in real life and in our literature.

The transition from ‘wholesome’ all-American family values, and traditional ideas about race, sex, gender and religion change dramatically during the 1950’s and 60’s.

Within her stories, specifically ‘The Enduring Chill’, Flannery O’Connor examines these changes and how the South provide a unique background on which to analyze the drama, conflict, and irony that these changes wrought in American life.

For the full powerpoint/lecture notes over today’s introduction to The Southern Gothic and Flannery O’Connor, please click here.