Shadow Side of Grace: The Nekyia of Flannery O'Connor's Wise Blood Paperback – May 5, 2026

Flannery O'Connor's WISE BLOOD is a text full of rich symbolism, a metaphoric landscape which is best understood using an integration of literary and depth psychological hermeneutics. Applying an anagogical framework to the novel, an interpretive approach meant to reveal spiritual meaning, makes it possible to see through the world of O'Connor's Taulkinham, the fictional setting for the novel, to that of the biblical. Once the parallel between the modern and the mythic is established, the interpretation is further enhanced by identifying the novel as a nekyia, a descent to the realm of the dead. This descent can be seen as an inner descent into the unconscious, a concept developed by Freud, Jung, James Hillman, and Evans L. Smith. The nekyia is symbolically portrayed in Hazel Motes's travels throughout the city. In addition, the process of writing WISE BLOOD can be seen as O'Connor's personal nekyia. Lupus hospitalized her before she was able to complete the first draft of the novel. Read more