By Taylor Jasmine | On June 10, 2017 | Updated September 15, 2026 | Comments (0)
Flannery O’Connor’s fiction has frequently been described as “grotesque,” and the author herself considered whether her work fit the description. In fiction of the grotesque, the focus is on the strange and ugly, often as an aspect of the physical body. It can also encompass themes of horror, death, and violence, with abhorrent characters.
At the end of the day, O’Connor preferred her work be considered realism, rather than grotesque or gothic.
Some of those who have analyzed the stories in her classic short story collection, A Good Man is Hard to Find, have begged to differ, but we’ll let the author herself have the last word. Excerpted from her essay “The Grotesque in Southern Fiction”: Read More→
By Jason Horn | On June 6, 2017 | Updated September 17, 2023 | Comments (0)
Though “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston is a short story of only 4,743 words long (about 15 pages), the scope of the work reaches farther than most novels. Read the full text of “Sweat” here.
Within this small space, Hurston addresses a number of themes, such as the trials of femininity, which she explores with compelling and efficient symbolism.
Originally published in 1926, it is nuanced and eloquently compact, with Hurston maximizing each word, object, character, and plot point to create an impassioned and enlightening narrative. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On June 1, 2017 | Updated October 19, 2022 | Comments (0)
Zora Neale Hurston (1891 – 1960), was an African-American novelist, memoirist, and folklorist associated with the Harlem Renaissance. Here we’ll explore her first-person musings on her books, publishing experiences and her impressions of publishers in general.
She was the first Black student at Barnard College, the women’s college connected with Columbia.
While studying with the noted anthropologist Franz Boas, she was recognized for her talent for storytelling and abiding interest in black cultures of the American South and Caribbean. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On June 1, 2017 | Updated August 23, 2026 | Comments (25)
The goal of Literary Ladies’ Guide is to be the most comprehensive archive on the subject of classic women authors (mainly in the English language, or who have been translated into English).
The authors listed must be deceased, since our mission is to focus on our literary foremothers. Fortunately, there are many more women writing today than there were even in the recent past, so to have entries on living writers would be overwhelming.
Sometimes we do veer a bit off the path of literary authors to include historic women journalists and various women of the past who engaged in creative fields categorized as other voices.
Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On May 31, 2017 | Updated September 15, 2024 | Comments (0)
Dorothy Parker often applied her rapier wit to book reviews she wrote as “Constant Reader” for the New Yorker from 1927 to 1933 and for Esquire from 1957 to 1962. Here’s a selection of gems from Dorothy Parker’s book reviews from the venerable publication.
The prevailing attitude toward Parker’s work as frivolous changed once her stories started being published in the New Yorker in the 1920s. After that, her work became a staple in the magazine, with frequent stories as well as her regular book review column which made good use of her wit and snark.
Parker appreciated a well written book and beautifully turned phrase. She wasn’t always prickly, but was definitely the most fun to read when her talons came out. Here are selected gems from some of her New Yorker and Esquire reviews. Read More→
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