Flannery O'Connor

Mary Flannery O'Connor, born in Savannah Georgia in 1925 is considered one of America's best fiction writers. She wrote short stories and novels that were dark, full of violence and shock value. Growing up in the Bible belt of the south, O'Connor was a devout Catholic which naturally translated over to her works of fiction. Her writing contained spiritual journeys and placed a strong emphasis on sin, guilt, and alienation despite the rise of secularism during the time period. Her writing often included the strange and dark clashes between morality and religion setting her apart from others. The especially morbid elements used in relation to religion make her writing stand out. O'Connor also had a good ear for dialect adding to the southern nature of her writing.

William Faulkner, born in 1897, came from an old southern family and grew up in Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner built his characters based on those typical of the historical period of growth and changes occuring in the south. He built the drama in his stories off real historical drama that happened in the American south. Faulkner's works often focused on the decay of the old south using dark themes to highlight the harsh negative past of the region. Faulkner uses long descriptions to portray the condition and mood of a location and the physical or mental state that a character is in. Faulkner's writing also stands out because of his use of small items or words to tie seperate scenes together. An example of this comes in his story "A Rose for Emily" by having the neighbors complain about a smell in a flashback and describing the smell when people finally enter her home.

Eudora Welty was an American short story writer, novelist, and photographer born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1909. Her life in Mississippi had a large impact on the settings and characters of her works. She often took inspiration from her memories of places she had been and people she met. This means her work is inherently tied to the south and its residents as they worked as inspiration. Welty also had a strong grasp on dialect and was able to accurately portray it adding depth to the southern aspects of her writing. Some of her works also have references to the history of thes south like old plantation buildings.

Harper Lee is a well known author from the southern gothic movement. She was born in 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama, her hometown was drawn on a lot in her writing especially the places she remembers from childhood. Her experiences and southern background add to the depth of southern culture in her writing. There are also focuses on racial issues in her works which were present in the historical south. This adds another tie between her work and the south by acknowledging the past issues.