Flannery O’Connor has long been regarded as one of the most prominent writers of the Southern Gothic genre: a genre mainly characterized by the presence of the irrational, the horrific and most importantly, the grotesque. She was born on March 25, 1925 in Savannah, Georgia to Regina Cline and Edward F. O'Connor. At the age of 15, O’Connor lost her father to lupus, the same disease that killed her later on.

As a young girl, Flannery O’Connor could frequently be found drawing cartoons or writing pieces for magazines and papers. Growing up, O’Connor became known for her “sly humor, a disdain for mediocrity, and merciless attacks on affectation and triviality” (Georgia Encyclopedia). These traits and her infamous usage of satire and irony carried on to her literary career. O’Connor earned her M.F.A from State University of Iowa and following her diagnosis of lupus, O’Connor began to write feverishly on her mother’s farm in a race against time. Even on the hospital bed, O’Connor continued to polish her literary pieces. On August 3, O'Connor passed away at the young age of 39. Some of O’Connor’s most memorable works include A Good Man is Hard To Find (including Good Country People), Wise Blood, The Violent Bear it Away, and Everything That Rises Must Converge.

Flannery O’Connor’s short stories normally explore compelling themes of nihilism, dark humor, religion, and more. These themes are oftentimes disturbing to some, but this is exactly what O’Connor aimed to do. In the words of O’Connor herself, “to the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost blind you draw large and startling figures”.

Whether readers enjoy O’Connor works or not, her works have undoubtedly shaped the future of American literature and they still remain as the prime example of what Southern Gothic literature means today.