Desire, Violence, and Divinity in Modern Southern Fiction: Katherine Anne Porter, Flannery O'connor, Cormac Mccarthy, Walker Percy (Southern Literary Studies)

300 Pages·2011·2.37 MB·English

by  Gary M. Ciuba

southern literary studies
Fred Hobson,Editor
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DESIRE
VIOLENCE
& DIVINITY
IN MODERN
SOUTHERN FICTION
K AT H E R I N E A N N E P O R T E R
F L A N N E R Y O ’ C O N N O R
C O R M A C M c C A R T H Y
WA L K E R P E R C Y
GARY M. CIUBA
louisiana state university press
baton rouge
Published by Louisiana State University Press
Copyright © 2007 by Louisiana State University Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Louisiana Paperback Edition, 2011
Designer: Michelle A. Garrod
Typeface: Minion Pro, AdvertRough
Typesetter: The Composing Room of Michigan, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ciuba, Gary M.
Desire, violence, and divinity in modern southern fiction : Katherine Anne Porter, Flannery
O’Connor, Cormac McCarthy, Walker Percy / Gary M.Ciuba.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn-13: 978-0-8071-3175-6
1. American literature—Southern States—History and criticism. 2. American literature—
20th century—History and criticism. 3. Violence in literature. 4. Desire in literature.
5. Porter, Katherine Anne, 1890–1980—Criticism and interpretation. 6. O’Connor, Flannery—
Criticism and interpretation. 7. McCarthy, Cormac, 1933– —Criticism and interpretation.
8. Percy, Walker, 1916– —Criticism and interpretation. I. Title.
ps261.c48 2006
810.9'3552—dc22
2005033975
isbn: 978-0-8071-3863-2 (paper : alk. paper)
Material in chapter 3 was published previously as “‘Like a Boulder Blocking Your Path’: Scandal
and Skandalon in Flannery O’Connor,” The Flannery O’Connor Bulletin 26–27 (1998–2000): 1–23.
Used by permission.
Material in chapter 4 was published previously as “McCarthy’s Enfant Terrible: Mimetic Desire
and Sacred Violence in Child of God,” in Sacred Violence: A Reader’s Companion to Cormac
McCarthy, edited by Wade Hall and Rick Wallach (El Paso: Texas Western Press, 1995), 77–85. Used
by permission.
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on
Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. ∞
To Patricia Rogan
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
1. the hanged man at old sardis church
The Culture ofViolence and the Violence ofCulture in the South 1
2. given only me for model
“ ”
Porter’s “Miranda”Stories and the Dilemmas ofMimetic Desire 55
3. like a boulder blocking your path
“ ”
O’Connor’s Skandalon in The Violent Bear It Away 115
4. mccarthy’s enfant terrible
Incarnating Sacred Violence in Child ofGod 165
5. no more for azazel
Victimizing the Sign and Signifying the Victim in Percy’s
The Thanatos Syndrome 200
Notes 247
Works Cited 257
Index 273
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
In “Herman Melville,”Walker Percy was inspired by Hawthorne’s friendship with
the author of Moby Dickto reflect on the communal enterprise of writing.“As
lonely as is the craft ofwriting,it is the most social ofvocations,”Percy claimed.
“No matter what the writer may say,the work is always written to someone,for
someone, against someone.” I am pleased to acknowledge here what one of
Melville’s 1851letters to Hawthorne called the “[i]neffable sociabilities”ofwriting.
Kent State University helped to underwrite this book through sponsoring
my Faculty Professional Development leaves as well as my Research and Cre-
ative Activity appointments. Diana Culbertson, my former colleague at Kent
State,first motivated me to think about violence and the sacred in southern lit-
erature.Robert Brinkmeyer,Susan Donaldson,Jill Peláez Baumgaertner,and
Noel Polk contributed valuable professional support at a critical moment while
I was working on this book.
Louisiana State University Press gave this project the most congenial of
homes. Candis LaPrade welcomed the manuscript and supervised its review
with the kind ofwarm encouragement that every writer would like to receive.
Fred Hobson,editor ofthe Southern Literary Studies Series,and John Desmond
of Whitman College provided readings that at once made me re-envision the
text and believe in it all over again.Marie Blanchard,copyeditor for this project,
brought greater clarity,fluency,and consistency to my writing.John Easterly,ex-
ecutive editor at Louisiana State University Press,and Lee Sioles,managing ed-
itor,oversaw the publication process with wise attention.
So many family members and friends live in the background ofthis book as
well as on its pages.Richard Giannone and Frank D’Andrea have been exem-
plary in their ongoing faith and generosity.My mother Anne Ciuba,my broth-
ers Raymond Ciuba and Mark Ciuba,as well as Julie Suchodolski,Agnes Rogan,
the late John Rogan,and Margy Conway have kept me grounded in the larger
ix