Both body and temple: Sexuality and spirituality in selected works of Flannery O'Connor, Alice Walker, and Gail Godwin

The writings of Flannery O'Connor, Alice Walker, and Gail Godwin portray the sacred and secular dynamics present in society and culture. This study examines both sexuality and spirituality in selected works by O'Connor, Walker, and Godwin. In their art, the three authors reject the common notion of categorizing sexuality and spirituality as separate entities. Yet, the three writers show divergence in connecting body to spirit, for O'Connor stresses her Catholic faith to explore the sensuality and divinity of human beings. Walker and Godwin oppose traditional and/or oppressive beliefs of the body and then fashion their own concepts, which celebrate both sexuality and spirituality.; Furthermore, this study proposes a tactic for examining both sexuality and spirituality in literature. Relying mainly on new historicist and Marxist concepts, I view characters, creative arts, myth, and ideology as key and common topics. Chapter one asserts that O'Connor is a precursor to Walker and Godwin. Although the three writers address the same issues in their fiction, Walker and Godwin seemingly adopt and then adapt O'Connor's topics of sex and spirit to present life from their perspectives as contemporary women. The second chapter explores characters who support and represent sexual and spiritual ties. Chapter three examines the use of creative arts such as writing, tattooing, and music to show connections between sexuality and spirituality. Chapter four argues the relevance of ideologies and myths as supporting sexual and spiritual associations. The fifth chapter offers an overview of this study and reasserts that O'Connor is a forerunner to Walker and Godwin.