IrishOboe

I recently mentioned that Dr. James Schall failed in only one book recommendation so far, but that is not wholly true.  I run into a few jems while reading “The Habit of Being” (the letters of Flannery O’Connor) which is why it is still my bathroom reading.  I came across a quote I’d like to share because I identify with it, but I’m sharing it mostly because I know my mother will identify with it even more than I do.  It’s worth mentioning as an aside the lost art of letter writing.  The book is nearly 600 pages long and not nearly all her letters were published.  The lady she is writing to here is a dear friend she met through the mail and hardly ever got to see in person, and yet they shared at the deepest level.  Sometimes I yearn for the days before Facebook, email and cell phones!  “Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink” comes to mind.  But on to the quote:

“After the interview with the Time man I am very much aware of how hard you have to try to escape labels.  He wanted me to characterize myself so he would have something to write down.  Are you a southern writer? What kind of Catholic are you? etc.  I asked him what kinds of Catholics there were.  Liberal or conservative, says he.  All I did for an hour was stammer and stutter and all night I was awake answering his questions with the necessary qualifications and reservations.   Not only will I look like Bishop [the idiot child in her novel “The Violent Bear it Away” and a reference to the photos the Time photographer took] but will sound like him if he could talk.”