Flannery O’Connor, The Lame Shall Enter First.  Sheppard is a high-minded liberal.  Norton is his disappointing young son, who seems indifferent to Sheppard’s moral crusades.  In the opening paragraphs of this short story Flannery O’Connor presents the two of them at breakfast.  Every detail of the depiction alludes to just what is wrong within this little family, highlighting Sheppard’s “telescopic philanthropism” which neglects what is right in front of him as he attempt...

EP17 – Bred in the Bone | Auden, September 1, 1939

Why do great novels, poems and plays move us and excite us? How can they change the way we look at ourselves and the world? What do these authors have to teach us? Why do they matter? There are no better answers to these questions than those provided by the authors themselves. We want to let them speak. Professing Literature is not a broad summary of major works. Instead, it will zero in on one or two key passages, looking at them closely in order to figure out what is at stake. The goal will be to appreciate an author’s brilliance by seeing him or her in action. We will unpack key phrases, images and metaphors and we will consider the techniques the writer uses to make ideas come alive.