Giving the Devil His Due: Demonic Authority in the Fiction of Flannery O’Connor and Fyodor Dostoevsky
Flannery O'Connor and Fyodor Dostoevsky shared a deep faith in Christ, which compelled them to tell stories that force readers to choose between eternal life and demonic possession. Their either-or extremism has not become more popular in the last fifty to a hundred years since these stories were first published, but it has become more relevant to a twenty-firstt-century culture in which the lukewarm middle ground seems the most comfortable place to dwell. Giving the Devil His Due walks through all of O'Connor's stories and looks closely at Dostoevsky's magnum opus The Brothers Karamazov to show that when the devil rules, all hell breaks loose. Instead of this kingdom of violence, O'Connor and Dostoevsky propose a kingdom of love, one that is only possible when the Lord again is king.
"This is one of those rare books that should appeal to readers
who love classic fiction and those with a strong interest in
Christian theology. I admired Jessica Hooten Wilson's readings of
both O'Connor and Dostoevsky--muscular, intelligent criticism,
written with a passion for the worlds they conjure. It's splendid
work, provocative, and deeply satisfying."
--Jay Parini, author of The Last Station and
Jesus: The Human Face of God
"How refreshing it is--and how necessary--to read criticism that
gets us down to the real stakes of moral existence. Wilson brings
us Dostoevsky and O'Connor in their full profundity of faith and
recognition of evil. This is just the right approach for college
students awash in the trivia of youth culture, reminding them that
their own lives can have a richer meaning."
--Mark Bauerlein, Professor of English, Emory University
"This is one of those rare books that should appeal to readers
who love classic fiction and those with a strong interest in
Christian theology. I admired Jessica Hooten Wilson's readings of
both O'Connor and Dostoevsky--muscular, intelligent criticism,
written with a passion for the worlds they conjure. It's splendid
work, provocative, and deeply satisfying."
--Jay Parini, author of The Last Station and
Jesus: The Human Face of God
"How refreshing it is--and how necessary--to read criticism that
gets us down to the real stakes of moral existence. Wilson brings
us Dostoevsky and O'Connor in their full profundity of faith and
recognition of evil. This is just the right approach for college
students awash in the trivia of youth culture, reminding them that
their own lives can have a richer meaning."
--Mark Bauerlein, Professor of English, Emory University
Product Details
- Title : Giving the Devil His Due: Demonic Authority in the Fiction of Flannery O’Connor and Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Author: Wilson, Jessica Hooten
- Publisher: Cascade Books
- Publication Date: 2017
- ISBN: 9781498291385
Jessica Hooten Wilson is Associate Professor of Literature and Creative Writing at John Brown University, where she directs the Giving Voice Writers Festival and is associate director of the Honors Scholars Program.