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A review by ben_smitty
Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose by Flannery O'Connor
4.0
An excellent collection of O'Connor's remarks on what incarnational writing looks like, which is the portrayal of God's mysteries through concrete means (like writing or nature). While O'Connor does not give specific writing advice, she discusses that the goal of the Catholic writer should be to reveal the world as it truly is by getting the reader to stare at it long enough to recognize the uncanny.
A section that I found surprisingly helpful is her comparison of sentimentality with pornography and violence; all three of these things exploit feelings because they force the readers to feel for feeling's sake, which is ultimately empty. A good writer, however, will cause feelings to erupt in the reader as a byproduct of stunning him with truth.
A section that I found surprisingly helpful is her comparison of sentimentality with pornography and violence; all three of these things exploit feelings because they force the readers to feel for feeling's sake, which is ultimately empty. A good writer, however, will cause feelings to erupt in the reader as a byproduct of stunning him with truth.