Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 40 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Father Damian Ference, a Catholic priest of the Diocese of Cleveland, joins Chris to discuss his new book, Understanding the Hillbilly Thomist: The Philosophical Foundations of Flannery O’Connor’s Narrative Art.
What did the great American novelist and short-story writer mean when she called herself a “hillbilly Thomist”—how did the thirteenth-century Catholic philosopher shape her art?
Father Damian and Chris also discuss a compelling new movie about Flannery O’Connor, as well as a recent letter from Pope Francis about the moral value of reading literature.
Understanding the Hillbilly Thomist | Fr. Damian Ference | Word on Fire
Flannery for the Faithful and the Unfamiliar | Chris Scalia | Washington Free Beacon
Capturing a Misfit: A Review of “Wildcat” | Fr. Damian Ference | Word on Fire
The Presence of Grace and Other Book Reviews by Flannery O’Connor | University of Georgia Press
Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis on the Role of Literature in Formation
Pope Francis’s Apologia for Literature | Chris Scalia | National Review Online
Opening and closing music: “Spit It Out” by Brendan Benson, used with permission from the artist.
Subscribe to The Back of the Book in Apple Podcasts (and leave a 5-star review, please!), or by RSS feed. For all our podcasts in one place, subscribe to the Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed in Apple Podcasts or by RSS feed.
This is the problem I have with Catholics generally. They sound all reasonable right up until they embrace, with a straight face, the most heretical of notions.
You’re a Bears fan? Seriously?