Looking Through a Mirror: Disability in the Works of Flannery O'Connor
Abstract
The works of Flannery O'Connor often include depictions of disability. O'Connor herself was disabled, as she was diagnosed with lupus in 1949. At face value, the depictions of disabled characters can seem problematic or suggest negative opinions of the disabled, but my presentation theorizes that O'Connor uses characters with physical disabilities to serve as foils. The disabled characters often bring out the worst in the non-disabled characters around them, allowing for further characterization of all characters involved. These disabled characters are often flawed themselves, but the disability is not what informs those flaws. O'Connor uses depictions of disability to explore human nature.
College
College of Liberal Arts
Department
English
Campus
Winona
First Advisor/Mentor
Gretchen Michlitsch
Location
Oak Rooms E/F - Kryzsko Commons
Start Date
4-18-2024 1:00 PM
End Date
4-18-2024 1:19 PM
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Format of Presentation or Performance
In-Person
Looking Through a Mirror: Disability in the Works of Flannery O'Connor
Oak Rooms E/F - Kryzsko Commons
The works of Flannery O'Connor often include depictions of disability. O'Connor herself was disabled, as she was diagnosed with lupus in 1949. At face value, the depictions of disabled characters can seem problematic or suggest negative opinions of the disabled, but my presentation theorizes that O'Connor uses characters with physical disabilities to serve as foils. The disabled characters often bring out the worst in the non-disabled characters around them, allowing for further characterization of all characters involved. These disabled characters are often flawed themselves, but the disability is not what informs those flaws. O'Connor uses depictions of disability to explore human nature.
