This dissertation examines the ways in which works by southern authors Rosemary Daniell, Lee Smith and Sheri Reynolds point to a juxtaposition of sexuality and Christianity by which the figure of Jesus Christ in particular and religion in general becomes eroticized. Christ is seen as a substitute lover, an eroticized ideal and, in the case of Daniell's autobiography, an erotic partner with multiple gender identities that change to reflect Daniell's changing needs and desires. The study navigates southern cultural landscapes to show how internalized ideals of the 'southern lady,' femininity and Christianity all contribute to these erotic visions of Christ. While critics and theorists have long been discussing southern treatments of religion, sexuality and gender, there is a dearth of studies regarding the intersection of the three and their relationships to one another. This work seeks to help remedy this lack by revealing a tendency towards the spiritualizing of the sexual and a sexualizing of the sacred in works by three often overlooked southern authors. It further shows how this tendency is not surprising nor even unexpected when viewed in the context of the South's history and cultural growth
