Read a couple of Flannery O'Connor's early stories today, the ones she wrote as part of a thesis when she was at university. Beautifully crafted, both had race at the forefront, with black characters playing key roles. Both made for uncomfortable reading. It would be crass to say they reflected overt racism on the part of the writer, but I can't imagine a teacher wanting to take them into the classroom as exemplars of balance and insight, despite their virtues. I suppose it didn't help matters that I happened to read a James Baldwin essay this morning on the subject of the rage he felt as a result of the racism he was on the receiving end of.
Perhaps that's the best way to read white writers in the Southern Gothic tradition: cheek by jowl with those unlikely to have any deep sympathy with them. (Mind you, I'm completely ignorant as to what Baldwin thought of her as a writer, if he bothered at all. Must try and find out.)
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