To say that Rev. John J. (J.J.) Quinn,
S.J. was an admirer of the work of Flannery O'Connor,
the Catholic Southern writer who died fifty years
ago, would be an understatement. Having written his
dissertation on O'Connor, Father Quinn developed a
personal relationship with the writer, having visited
her mother in Georgia and corresponded with the writer
herself over the course of a decade. Father Quinn,
who served as the first Faculty Moderator of the University
of Scranton's literary journal the Espirit, conceived
the idea of publishing a special commerative issue
of the Espirit (Volume 8, No. 1, Winter 1964) in honor
of Flannery O'Connor, who died of lupus that year.
Father Quinn set about soliciting commentary from
numerous literary critics, college and university
professors and professional writers who had knowledge
of and interest in O'Connor's work. These "guest
writers," among them Katherine Anne Porter, Saul
Bellow, and Elizabeth Bishop, wrote brief, yet poignant
tributes that comprise the first fifty pages of the
issue. Additional literary criticism and original
contributions as well as sketches and photographs
by U of S students, comprise the remaining pages of
the volume.
As is often the custom upon the passing of a member
of the Jesuit community at Scranton, books and other
memorabilia pertaining to an academic discipline are
offered to the Weinberg Library. Upon Father Quinn's
death in March of 2004, such was the case. With the
assistance of Rev. Joseph Tylenda, S.J. and Rev. Bernard
McIlhenney, S.J., books and papers were culled for
titles which would be added to the library's collection.
Among the items were many treasures related to Father
Quinn's relationship with Flannery O'Connor. After
examining the documents, it became apparent that an
exhibit of Father's memorabilia, correspondence and
personal copies of O'Connor's works would be a fitting
tribute to the late Father Quinn and an opportunity
to share these treasures with community. Library staff
contacted the University's President Scott Pilarz,
S.J. and Gerald Zaboski, Director of Public Relations,
and a plan to invite an O'Connor scholar to "kick
off" the display was formed.
Ralph C. Wood, University Professor of Theology and
Literature at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, has
agreed to deliver a lecture entitled "Enduring
Witness: A Celebration of the Legacy of John J. Quinn"
on Tuesday, April 5, 2005, at 7 P.M. in the Heritage
Room of the Weinberg Library. Dr. Wood has both a
bachelor's and master's degree from East Texas State
University, as well as a second master's degree and
doctorate from the Divinity School of the University
of Chicago. He serves as an editor at-large for the
Christian Century and as a member of the editorial
board for the Flannery O'Connor Review. In 1988 he
wrote The Comedy of Redemption: Christian Faith and
Comic Vision in Four American Novelists. Dr. Wood's
most recent work, Flannery O'Connor and the Christ
Haunted South, was published in 2004 by Wm B. Eerdmans
Publishing Co.and has received unequivocal praise.
Isobel Sherman, critic for the TLS Times Literary
Supplement, notes that Wood "lovingly explores
O'Connor's collected writing from the context in which
she worked." She notes that Wood's literary analysis
is "sensitively balanced and his theological
dissection fills a void" in O'Connor criticism.
The display of Quinn O'Connor Memorabilia and Correspondence
will be unveiled that evening in the Heritage Room
as well.
The lecture will be open to the public and the display
will run through the month of April.
