Final answer:
Flannery O'Connor's fiction, characterized by its Southern Gothic style and use of dark humor, departs from traditional Southern literature by detailing the complexities of Southern life and societal issues through the grotesque. Option number a is correct
Step-by-step explanation:
Flannery O'Connor's fiction is noted for its Southern Gothic settings, dark humor, and exploration of religious themes. O'Connor's statement likely expresses her interest in the grotesque and the exploration of the social realities behind the façade of Southern culture.
In contrast to the traditional approach of Southern literature that evoked nostalgia for the Old South, the Southern Renaissance and O'Connor's work in particular, broke from this by depicting the complexities and contradictions of Southern life, often through characters with physical disfigurement or deviant behavior that symbolized deeper societal issues.
O'Connor's use of the grotesque served as a commentary on the distorted nature of reality behind a veneer of Southern respectability and gentility. Her work, including 'A Good Man is Hard to Find', is emblematic of this, where violence and dark humor intertwine within a narrative that challenges both religious and moral assumptions.