Dr. Martin's keen analysis, informed by a life's work as literary critic and theologian, reveals the central action of O'Connor's stunning fiction - the violent breaking-in of grace into lives barren of the awareness of God. He links this consistent theme of her work tothe shape of her own faithful and cross-filled life. Usually seen as a preeminent Catholic fiction writer of the twentieth century, O'Connor's work has set the standard for how serious writers must address God's salvific actions while maintaining the highest standards for literature. A kind of faithful Catholic counterpoint to James Joyce, O'Connor's work is of enduring even classic value. Dr. Martin's larger argument points out that only fiction with a passionate religious vision has a chance of enduring, thus consigning, as Lionel Trilling once did, most liberal fiction to the remainders table.