The Thomistic Institute Flannery O'Connor and the Perils of Governing By Tenderness – Dr. Jerome Foss
Oct 23, 2025
Dr. Jerome C. Foss, a scholar of Catholic political thought, explores Flannery O'Connor's unique approach to art and morality. He warns against governing by abstract tenderness, advocating for a faith-rooted realism. Foss delves into O'Connor's life and writing, revealing her belief that art should enhance moral vision. He analyzes her stories, showing how characters balance physical and moral sight, and how storytelling fosters a deeper understanding of reality. Ultimately, he highlights the transformative power of suffering and sacramental grace in O'Connor's worldview.
44:53
Real Presence Counters Nihilism
- O'Connor rejected reducing the Eucharist to a mere symbol and saw the Real Presence as antidote to nihilism.
- Her novel The Violent Bear It Away celebrates the Eucharist's centrality to moral vision.
Vision And Conversion
- Vision is central to O'Connor: moral insight often arrives through altered physical sight or startling encounters.
- Characters gain true perception (are "under construction") after crises that reveal deeper reality.
Broaden Reading To Improve Sight
- Read widely across literature, theology, and political thought to deepen moral sight.
- Foss shows O'Connor used painting, reading, and prayer to hone perception for storytelling.
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Intro
00:00 • 25sec
Foss’s Background and Why He Read Flannery O'Connor
00:25 • 2min
O'Connor’s Life, Faith, and Writing Routine
02:11 • 2min
What O'Connor Thought Art Should Do
04:01 • 45sec
Famous Stark Lines and O'Connor’s Tone
04:46 • 1min
O'Connor on How to Portray the World
05:52 • 1min
O'Connor’s Correspondence and Practical Advice
07:02 • 40sec
Why the Real Presence Counters Nihilism
07:42 • 2min
O'Connor’s Thomistic Faith and Creative Freedom
09:56 • 17sec
How Vision Operates in O'Connor’s Stories
10:13 • 22sec
Parker’s Back and Encountering the All-Demanding Gaze
10:36 • 3min
Everything That Rises Must Converge: Eyes and Moral Failure
13:51 • 2min
Physical Blindness Leading to Moral Sight
15:48 • 1min
Ruby Turpin’s Vision in Revelation
17:02 • 46sec
How O'Connor Trains Moral and Physical Vision
17:47 • 6min
What O'Connor Read to Form Her Moral Vision
23:30 • 3min
O'Connor’s Book Reviews and Political Thought
26:03 • 4min
Why Suffering of Children Challenges Faith and Governing by Tenderness
30:12 • 2min
Abstract Tenderness in O'Connor’s Characters
31:58 • 1min
The Storyteller’s Role Versus Political Agendas
33:18 • 60sec
Rendering Vision: Storytelling as Discovery of Reality
34:18 • 2min
What It Means To See With the Church
36:03 • 3min
Challenges for Catholic Storytellers in Democracy
38:50 • 2min
Balancing the Concrete and the Transcendent
41:18 • 2min
Facing the Dragon: Suffering, Sacraments, and Grace
43:01 • 1min
Outro
44:22 • 31sec
#42019
Everything That Rises Must Converge
Flannery O'Connor
"Everything That Rises Must Converge" is a short story by Flannery O'Connor that explores themes of racial tension, class conflict, and the limitations of human understanding.
Set in the American South during the Civil Rights era, the story follows Julian and his mother on a bus ride, where they encounter an African American woman and her son.
Julian, a self-proclaimed intellectual, condescends to his mother, who clings to outdated prejudices and social pretensions.
O'Connor's story delves into the complexities of human relationships, the corrosive effects of pride and prejudice, and the potential for grace and redemption in the face of suffering.
Through vivid characters and a sharp, satirical tone, "Everything That Rises Must Converge" challenges readers to confront their own biases and assumptions.
#25645
Beyond the dreams of avarice
Russell Kirk
#44419
Order in History
none
Eric Voegelin
#25634
Good Country People
Short story
Flannery O'Connor
"Good Country People" is a short story by Flannery O'Connor known for its dark humor and exploration of nihilism and faith.
The story centers on Hulga Hopewell, an intellectual with a wooden leg, and Manley Pointer, a Bible salesman.
Hulga, who has rejected traditional values, sees Manley as an opportunity to corrupt an innocent, but he ultimately steals her wooden leg, revealing his own twisted worldview.
O'Connor's story delves into themes of deception, intellectual pride, and the search for meaning in a world that often seems devoid of hope.
Through its shocking conclusion and complex characters, "Good Country People" challenges readers to confront uncomfortable truths about human nature and the nature of belief.
#62196
Introduction to a memoir of Mary Ann
none
Flannery O'Connor
#2553
• Mentioned in 13 episodes
The Conservative Mind
Russell Kirk
Published in 1953, *The Conservative Mind* is a landmark book that gave shape to the postwar conservative movement in the United States.
Russell Kirk's work chronicles the history of conservative thought, starting with Edmund Burke and John Adams, and continuing through to 20th-century thinkers like Santayana and T.S.
Eliot.
The book defends traditional conservatism, emphasizing the importance of preserving ancient wisdom present in institutions, culture, and government, and expresses a distrust of 'progress' that seeks to dismantle these repositories of the 'permanent things.
' Kirk's vision of conservatism is rooted in the 'moral imagination' and the Burkean conception of society as an organic, sacred order, advocating for slow and cautious change rather than radical reforms.
#176
• Mentioned in 94 episodes
Revelation
Jen Wilkin
#946
• Mentioned in 28 episodes
Summa Theologiae
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St. Thomas Aquinas
St.
Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologiae is a monumental work of systematic theology, aiming to present a comprehensive overview of Christian doctrine.
It's structured around questions and articles, exploring various aspects of faith and reason.
The Summa covers topics such as God, creation, the human person, salvation, and the sacraments.
It's considered a cornerstone of Catholic theology and has profoundly influenced philosophical and theological discourse for centuries.
Its enduring relevance lies in its systematic approach and integration of faith and reason.
#6226
• Mentioned in 6 episodes
Wise blood
Flannery O'Connor
Published in 1952, Wise Blood is Flannery O'Connor's first novel and a masterpiece of allegory and farce.
The story revolves around Hazel Motes, a twenty-two-year-old veteran who returns to find his family home in ruins.
He founds the Church Without Christ, advocating a humanistic reliance on self rather than God. Motes's journey is marked by encounters with various characters, including the 'blind' street preacher Asa Hawks, his daughter Sabbath Lily, and Enoch Emery, a young man with 'wise blood.
' The novel explores themes of spiritual truth, false prophets, and the search for redemption in a world characterized by sin, guilt, and judgment.
#300
• Mentioned in 63 episodes
Democracy in America
Alexis de Tocqueville
Written after his travels in the United States, 'Democracy in America' is a comprehensive study of American society and government.
Tocqueville examines the democratic revolution and its impact on American life, discussing topics such as the sovereignty of the people, the role of civil society, the dangers of the tyranny of the majority, and the influence of religion and individualism.
The book is a philosophical and political analysis that aims to understand why republican representative democracy succeeded in the United States while failing in other places, and it offers insights into the future of democracy both in America and globally.
#11354
• Mentioned in 3 episodes
Mystery and manners
occasional prose
Flannery O'Connor
Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose is a collection of essays by Flannery O'Connor, edited by Sally and Robert Fitzgerald.
The book delves into O'Connor's views on writing, faith, and the role of the writer in society, highlighting the tension between the 'mystery' of the divine and the 'manners' of everyday human life.
It offers insights into her literary philosophy and the influence of her Catholic faith on her work.
#18641
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
Parker's Back
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Flannery O'Connor
Flannery O'Connor's "Parker's Back" is a short story that delves into the complex relationship between a man named Parker and his faith.
Parker, a deeply flawed individual, seeks meaning and purpose through a series of tattoos, culminating in a large tattoo of the Lord.
The story explores themes of redemption, grace, and the paradoxical nature of faith.
O'Connor masterfully uses grotesque imagery and dark humor to portray Parker's spiritual journey.
The story's ending leaves the reader contemplating the depths of human nature and the mysterious ways of God's grace.
Ultimately, "Parker's Back" challenges readers to confront their own beliefs and grapple with the complexities of faith and redemption.
#25158
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
The Habit of Being
Flannery O'Connor
The Habit of Being is a comprehensive collection of letters written by Flannery O'Connor, spanning from her first query letter to her agent in 1948 to her last note in 1964.
These letters provide a vivid portrait of O'Connor's personality, her interactions with prominent literary figures, and her views on writing, Catholicism, and life.
The collection includes her correspondence with friends, critics, and other writers, such as Maryat Lee and Elizabeth Bishop, and offers a unique glimpse into her creative process, particularly her work on her second novel, The Violent Bear It Away.
The letters also reveal her humor, her conservative and anti-integrationist views, and her resilience in the face of her debilitating illness.
#18226
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
The Violent Bear It Away
Flannery O'Connor
The novel follows Francis Marion Tarwater, a fourteen-year-old orphan raised by his great-uncle, a self-appointed prophet, in the backwoods of Tennessee.
After his great-uncle's death, Tarwater is torn between his innate faith and the secular world represented by his uncle Rayber, an atheist schoolteacher.
The story unfolds as Tarwater struggles with his identity and the conflicting prophecies of his great-uncle, leading to a dramatic and violent climax involving the baptism and death of Rayber's intellectually disabled son, Bishop.
The novel explores themes of faith, violence, and the human condition, reflecting O'Connor's signature blend of Southern Gothic and Christian theology.
Dr. Jerome Foss uses Flannery O’Connor’s stories to warn against the pitfalls of governing by abstract tenderness, advocating for a vision rooted in faith, realism, and the transformative power of suffering.
This lecture was given on February 12th, 2025, at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.
About the Speakers:
Jerome C. Foss is Professor of Politics, Endowed Director of the Center for Catholic Thought and Culture, and Director of the SVC Core Curriculum at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Foss earned his BA from the University of Dallas and his MA and PhD from Baylor University. His research focuses on Catholic political thought, American political thought, and literature and political philosophy. His most recent book, Flannery O'Connor and the Perils of Governing by Tenderness, brings these interests together. He has also published on the history of political philosophy, the U.S. Constitution, Constitutional Law, James Madison, and Abraham Lincoln. He is currently working on a scholarly book on the first ten amendments to the Constitution (commonly known as the Bill of Rights) and a book for a more general Catholic audience on the Declaration of Independence. Foss enjoys teaching a variety of courses, including courses on the Constitutional Convention and Shakespeare as a political thinker. As Director of the CCTC, Foss helps administer the college's Benedictine Leadership Studies Program, has developed and led the colleges summer program in Rome, founded and edits an academic journal entitled Conversatio, and organizes conferences, seminars, and other events.
Keywords: Abstract Tenderness, Alexis De Tocqueville, Christian Vision, Evil And Suffering, Flannery O’Connor, Moral Clarity, Nihilism, Real Presence, Storytelling Vocation, Theological Realism