More from The Habit of Being
. This is from August 1955.
I believe too that there is only one Reality and that that is the end of it, but the term, "Christian Realism," has become necessary for me, perhaps in a purely academic way, because I find myself in a world where everybody has his compartment, puts you in yours, shuts the door and departs. One of the awful things about writing when you are a Christian is that for you the ultimate reality is the Incarnation, the present reality is the Incarnation, and nobody believes in the Incarnation; that is, nobody in your audience. My audience are the people who think God is dead. At least these are the people I am conscious of writing for.
As for Jesus' being a realist: if He was not God, He was no realist, only a liar, and the crucifixion an act of justice.
Flannery O'Connor
1 brave one(s) among us:
She certainly doesn't mince words. I enjoyed her letters even more than her stories, which I also enjoyed. Although "enjoy" seems to be an inadequate verb to express what I mean.
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