It’s Catholic and large family day!
Catherine of Sienna, b. 1347. Catherine was the 23rd child born to the Benincasa family. She preached to both Pope Gregory and to Pope Urban, working all her life to heal the Great Schism that had split the papacy between Avignon and Rome. She also wrote many, many letters of which over 400 survive.
Lady Anne Fanshawe, b. 1625. English memoir writer who lived during the Restoration under Charles II. She had fourteen children.
Flannery O’Connor, author, b. 1925. I’ve never read anything by O’Connor, but we’re supposed to read a short story, The Violent Bear It Away, for my American Literature discussion group sometime in April. Tell me, am I going to be able to explain this story to high school students, or will they have to explain it to me?
Flannery O’Connor is amazing–I guarantee an awesome discussion, although I wouldn’t worry so much about an explanation per se, mainly because there’s tons going on in all her stories. The Violent Bear It Away is a tough novel, and I think her short stories are a little more accessible, but all her work is definitely worth reading. Enjoy!