Passing by the dragon : the Biblical tales of Flannery O'Connor /

These excellent readings of Flannery O'Connor's novels and short stories rely heavily on at least three versions of the Bible--the Roman Catholic Douay, the King James, and Ronald Knox's translation--and include many allusions to the apocryphal books. This study by Michaels (adjunct professor, Bangor Theological Seminary) makes copious use of O'Connor's letters, some published in The Habit of Being (1979) and others in O'Connor collections at the Georgia College and State University Library in Milledgeville, GA. The title comes from an O'Connor quotation from St. Cyril of Jerusalem in Mystery and Manners (1970), a collection of her essays. It reflects the author's thesis that the devil is a background figure in O'Connor's stories, as she claimed that we live in territory occupied by the devil or the dragon. He emphasizes that, for O'Connor, mercy is related to salvation, which often comes in terrible garb. The study is reminiscent of Ralph Woods's Flannery O'Connor and the Christ-Haunted South (CH, Oct'04, 42-0819), which, although not so thoroughly Bible centered, comes from another Protestant accepting O'Connor's comments about her work. Michaels shows that all but two of the stories illustrate or are filled with biblical material. A must-read book for all who study O'Connor. Summing Up: Essential. All students, researchers, and general readers. M. S. Stephenson University of Texas at Brownsville