Overview

Conference on Christianity and Literature (CCL) Book of the Year - Literary Criticism The good news of Jesus Christ is a subversive gospel, and following Jesus is a subversive act. These notions were embodied in the literary work of American author Flannery O'Connor, whose writing was deeply informed by both her Southern context and her Christian faith. In this Studies in Theology and the Arts volume, theologian Michael Bruner explores O'Connor's theological aesthetic and argues that she reveals what discipleship to Christ entails by subverting the traditional understandings of beauty, truth, and goodness through her fiction. In addition, Bruner challenges recent scholarship by exploring the little-known influence of Baron Friedrich von Hügel, a twentieth-century Roman Catholic theologian, on her work. Bruner's study thus serves as a guide for those who enjoy reading O'Connor and—even more so—those who, like O'Connor herself, follow the subversive path of the crucified and risen one. The Studies in Theology and the Arts  series encourages Christians to thoughtfully engage with the relationship between their faith and artistic expression, with contributions from both theologians and artists on a range of artistic media including visual art, music, poetry, literature, film, and more.

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9780830850662

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Reviews

Bruner's witticism reminds me of a gift that my father once gave me, a luminescent cobalt rock. It's glass, he explained, created when lightning hit the sand. The rock is something like O'Connor's stories. Yes, her characters may be treated like dirt, and their moments of grace may cause them pain and shock. Yet O'Connor shows us something true about our nature, our suffering, and God's grace. When struck by lightning, even dirt becomes beautiful. --Sharon G. Thornton, Christian Century This book accomplished something I was not expecting--it caused me to love another author. It is no surprise that the author was Flannery O'Connor, who Bruner has an obvious and profound respect for. What is unexpected is the degree to which I followed him into that affection. The answers are no more black-and-white than the characters from O'Connor's novels, but the meaning to be found by walking with them becomes stitched to you, hemmed in by the very Spirit of God. --Alex Parish, blogger, www.bonsaibonfire.com

"""Bruner's readings of particular scenes are often powerful and convincing, his grasp of the material is profound, and . . . his total vision for O'Connor and her work is captivating and often rightly challenging. O'Connor's fiction presents a deeply Christian challenge to the multiple complacencies of modern culture--including, or perhaps especially, Christian culture. Bruner offers a coherent and sympathetic theological reading of the subversive world O'Connor offers, a world perhaps trembling beneath the surface of our own."" --Jonathan M. Platter, Reviews in Religion and Theology, 25:3 (2018) ""Bruner's witticism reminds me of a gift that my father once gave me, a luminescent cobalt rock. ""It's glass,"" he explained, ""created when lightning hit the sand."" The rock is something like O'Connor's stories. Yes, her characters may be treated like dirt, and their moments of grace may cause them pain and shock. Yet O'Connor shows us something true about our nature, our suffering, and God's grace. When struck by lightning, even dirt becomes beautiful."" --Sharon G. Thornton, Christian Century ""This book accomplished something I was not expecting--it caused me to love another author. It is no surprise that the author was Flannery O'Connor, who Bruner has an obvious and profound respect for. What is unexpected is the degree to which I followed him into that affection. The answers are no more black-and-white than the characters from O'Connor's novels, but the meaning to be found by walking with them becomes stitched to you, hemmed in by the very Spirit of God."" --Alex Parish, blogger, www.bonsaibonfire.com"

This book accomplished something I was not expecting--it caused me to love another author. It is no surprise that the author was Flannery O'Connor, who Bruner has an obvious and profound respect for. What is unexpected is the degree to which I followed him into that affection. The answers are no more black-and-white than the characters from O'Connor's novels, but the meaning to be found by walking with them becomes stitched to you, hemmed in by the very Spirit of God. --Alex Parish, blogger, www.bonsaibonfire.com Bruner's witticism reminds me of a gift that my father once gave me, a luminescent cobalt rock. It's glass, he explained, created when lightning hit the sand. The rock is something like O'Connor's stories. Yes, her characters may be treated like dirt, and their moments of grace may cause them pain and shock. Yet O'Connor shows us something true about our nature, our suffering, and God's grace. When struck by lightning, even dirt becomes beautiful. --Sharon G. Thornton, Christian Century

Author Information

Michael Mears Bruner (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is associate professor of practical theology at Azusa Pacific University. Born and raised in the Philippines as the son of missionaries, he is currently a resident scholar at the Huntington Library, an ordained minister in the PC(USA), and a recent recipient of a Lilly Endowment in theology and the arts.

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