released 8/2/2024

Fr. Damian Ference, author of Understanding the Hillbilly Thomist: The Philosophical Foundations of Flannery O’Connor’s Narrative Art (Word on Fire, 2023) explores the depths to which Flannery O’Connor was steeped in Thomistic philosophy, as evidenced by her reading habits, letters, prayer journal, and, of course, essays and fiction. He also discusses the influence on O’Connor of Étienne Gilson and Jacques Maritain. Her “graced attentiveness” and commitment as an artist to reality in her work, Ference says, allowed her to “novelize philosophy” in a powerful and non-didactic manner. Ference is a priest of the Diocese of Cleveland where he serves as Vicar for Evangelization, Secretary for Parish Life and Special Ministries, and as Professor of Philosophy at Borromeo Seminary.

18 minutes

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