Flannery O’Connor Throwing Shade at Ayn Rand in 1960

[ismnotwasm]

Flannery O’Connor was both one of America’s greatest short story writers and one of our greatest snarky critics. Case in point, the following comments on objectivist “philosopher” and Atlas Shrugged author Ayn Rand:

I hope you don’t have friends who recommend Ayn Rand to you. The fiction of Ayn Rand is as low as you can get re fiction. I hope you picked it up off the floor of the subway and threw it in the nearest garbage pail. She makes Mickey Spillane look like Dostoevsky.

Burn.

http://electricliterature.com/flannery-oconnor-throwing-shade-at-ayn-rand-in-1960/

[BillZBubb]

1. Great comment, and TRUE.

Rand's fiction, like her "philosophy" is sophomoric and laughable.

[ismnotwasm]

4. Oh yes

Having suffered through the actual reading of that-- book--(I rarely give up, I read "Gravity's Rainbow" --a book I adore--twice end to end so far, and favorite passages now and again and still brag about it a bit)

I STILL resent the good reading time wasted reading Atlas Shrugged. When I started learning about her "philosophy" I was even more pissed.

I love that this was from Flannery O'Conner in 1960.

[brer cat]

2. So true. K&R nt

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

3. Superb critique of the Rand mystique.

[BainsBane]

5. I LOVE Flannery O'Conner

Her stories are amazing!

[ismnotwasm]

6. I know right?

In fact, I think I should revisit her-- it's been a while and I bought a copy of "The Complete Stories"

thought and challenge with a bite--

[redqueen]

8. She was brilliant.

I love Everything That Rises Must Converge

[nomorenomore08]

17. I love her stuff too. Guess we all have good taste.

[argyl]

7. Kinda like the bone china calling the Tupperware tacky.

O' Conner also wrote two brilliant novels, " Wise Blood" and " The Violent Bear It Away."

Flannery O' Conner gone way too soon at age 39. Ayn Rand spilling her nasty bile for way too long.

[RiffRandell]

20. They are all in my book, which is called "Three By Flannery O'Connor."

My copy has the number 3 spelled out; the amazon one lists it as a #, but mine is really old.

http://www.amazon.com/Flannery-OConnor-Wise-Blood-Violent/dp/B000LS92JG/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403282447&sr=1-5&keywords=three+by+flannery+o%27connor

[SleeplessinSoCal]

9. "Throwing shade"?

Never heard that before. Assumed it was protection.

Happy nonetheless to see Rand readers getting schooled.

[GarColga]

10. "Throwing shade" - not cool!

When someone is "throwing shade" they are indeed bad-mouthing someone, only it is obvious to the audience that the one throwing shade is taking an unwarranted superior attitude!

[SleeplessinSoCal]

12. So it is Ayn Rand that comes off better than Flannery O'Connor?

Urban Dictionary:

throw shade
to talk trash about a friend or aquaintance, to publicly denounce or disrespect. When throwing shade it's immediately obvious to on-lookers that the thrower, and not the throwee, is the bitcy, uncool one
"How does Kimmy keep any friends? Last night at the party all she did was throw shade at people."

I'm so confused.

[ismnotwasm]

13. What you like Rand?

[GarColga]

15. No

I'm just saying that the term "throwing shade" seems to have been misused. "Talking smack" would have worked.

[ismnotwasm]

16. Ah I get it

A perhaps overzealous writer trying out skills. So the title is a fail.

On second thought, O'Conner often wasn't out to be pleasant and this was 1960.

[PeoViejo]

11. Casting Umbrage

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/umbrage

[Generic Other]

14. Flannery O'Connor would rip the still beating heart out of an Ayn Rand character

and make them beg for salvation.

[nomorenomore08]

18. "She makes Mickey Spillane look like Dostoevsky."

[RiffRandell]

19. Huge Flannery O'Connor fan.

Just looked in my bookshelf and still have one of her collection of short stories from college, although the cover is missing.

Intelligent, talented woman.

I would have to say my favorite story by her is "A Good Man is Hard to Find" and remember the paper I wrote on it. Great story...highly recommend it if you've never read it.

Now I like her even more...thanks, and rec!