The female grotesque as subversion: an analysis of Flannery O'Connor's fiction

Abstract

This project proposes to analyse part of the fictional work of the American writer Flannery O'Connor, considering the female grotesque elements in them, under the light of the documents (manuscripts and reviews) that are available at Ina Dillard Russell Library, at Georgia State College and University, in Milledgeville, GA. The main objective is to prove the thesis that the use of the female grotesque in O'Connor's fictional work serves a subversive rather than a repressive purpose. In order to do that, it is important to contrast the manuscripts available with the published versions of the short stories and novels to see whether there have been any significant changes made by the author regarding the grotesque elements and the female characters. It is also important to analyse the critical response to the texts at the time of their publication, which we intend to do through the reading of the reviews. This research is going to be based on the works of the grotesque theorists Wolfgang Kayser, Mikhail Bakhtin and Marry Russo. In addition to the analysis of the manuscripts, this project seeks to gather more critical material on Flannery O'Connor's work, including the first published reviews on the author's work, which cannot be found in Brazil and may contribute to the main Doctorate research. (AU)