现代大学英语精读六(第二版) 教师用书Unit 2

Unit2ARoseforEmilyWilliamFaulknerAdditionalBackgroundInformationonWilliamFaulknerWilliamFaulknerwasbornandbroughtupintheAmericanSouthandlivedthereforalmostallhislife.OnNovember14,1888,thelocalnewspaperinJackson,Mississippireportedanewsstory:“AterribletragedywasenactedatRipleyonTuesdayafternoonoflastweek—thewidelyandwell-knownCol.W.C.Falknerbeingthevictim.”Col.FalknerhadrunfortheMississippilegislatureandhadbeenelected.Butbeforehetookofficehewasshotdeadbyhisrival.Col.Falknerhadbeenalocalheroandalegendaryfigure.HewasapioneerinMississippi,organizedaregimenttofightfortheSouthintheCivilWar,practicedlawafterreturningfromthebattlefields,boughtalargeplantation,builtthefirstrailroadinhishometown,andwroteanovel,whichbecameanationalbest-seller.This“widelyandwell-known”Col.W.C.FalknerwasWilliamFaulkner’sgreat-grandfather.OnSeptember25,1897,Faulknerwasborninthisdistinguishedfamily.HespenthisyouthinOxford,asmalltowninMississippi.AlthoughtheoldcolonelhaddiedbeforeFaulknercameintothisworld,theboygrewuplisteningtoallsortsofstoriesabouthisgreat-grandfatherandotherpeopleinhishometown.ThestoriesthathisNegronannytoldhimandthegossipheheardfromthetownspeoplerestingandchattinginthesmalldowntownsquareprovidedFaulknerwithanoraltraditionofstorytellingasanimportantpartofhiseducation.DuringWorldWarIFaulknerservedintheRoyalCanadianAirForce.Afterthearmisticein1918hereturnedtoOxford,andforsometimeheledhislifeinaratherlistlessway.HeattendedtheUniversityofMississippibutlefttheuniversitywithinayear;hetriedhishandatpoetrybutwithoutmuchsuccess;hewentnorthtotheculturalmetropolitancityofNewYork,butwasdrivenbackhomesoonbyloneliness.Hebecameapostmaster,butafterthreeyearsatmost,heresignedfromthispost.Allthistime,Faulknerhadbeenreading,first,whateverinterestedhim,and,later,thegreatpoetsandnovelists.InNewYork,FaulknermetSherwoodAnderson,afamouswriter,andthenwhenhetraveledtoNewOrleansin1925,hegainedentryintothisartisticcenterthroughAnderson.InspiredbyAnderson,Faulknerbegantowritenovels.Faulknerwrote19novelsandnearlyahundredshortstories.Thesettingof15novelsandthemajorityoftheshortfictionistheAmericanSouth.InhisthirdbookSartoris(1929),hecreatedthefictionalYoknapatawphaCounty.Inthesameyear,hepublishedTheSoundandtheFury(1929),oneofhismasterpieces.ThisnovelowesmuchtoJamesJoyceandthestreamofconsciousnesstechnique.InanothermajorworkAsILayDying(1930),Faulknerrelatesaterrifyingcomicstorytoaritualizedburialjourney.Inthisnovelheexperimentswithmultiple-point-of-viewnarration.LightinAugust(1932)isalsooneofFaulkner’smajornovels.ThehighpointofFaulkner’sdevelopmentisthebrilliantAbsalom,Absalom!(1936).HisothermajorworksincludeTheUnvanquished,TheWildPalms,TheHamlet,TheTown,TheMansion,GoDownMoses,AFable,etc.AsthesettingofmostofhisworksistheAmericanSouth,Faulknerisregardedasaregionalwriter.Buttheword“regional”ismisleadingbecauseFaulknerdealswithsomeofthemajoruniversalthemesinliteraturesoprofoundlythathisworkisreadandrecognizednationallyandinternationally.Asfaraswritingtechniquesareconcerned,Faulknerisamongthegreatexperimentalistsofthe20thcenturynovel.Hiseffectiveuseofstreamofconsciousness,multiplepointsofview,symbolismandimagery,placeshimamongtherankofoutstandingmodernwritersalongwithJamesJoyceandVirginiaWoolf.In1950,FaulknerwontheNobelPrizeforLiterature.TheThemesandWritingTechniquesof“ARoseforEmily”Although“ARoseforEmily”isoneofhismostfrequentlyanthologizedshortstoriesandiswidelyusedintheAmericanclassroom,Chinesestudentsmayfinditdifficulttounderstandandappreciate.SomeofthemmaythinkitisabizarrestoryaboutanoldeccentricladyinanAmericanSoutherntown.It’struethatthesettingofthestoryistheAmericanSouth.Yet,thethemeofthestoryisuniversal,transcendingtheboundariesoftimeandspace.Likemanyotherworksofgreatliterature,thisshortstorytellsaboutlove,death,honor,pride,change,andloss.In“ARoseforEmily”wecanseehowtheauthortellsthegoodstoryskillfully;howhecreatestherequisiteatmospherefortellingthestory;howhemaintainsthesuspenseandunfoldstheconflictbitbybit;andhowhedigsdeepintothesocialworldofhischaracters.Thisstoryisarichandmodern20th-centuryliterarytext.ThosewhoarenotveryfamiliarwithmodernAmericanliteraturemaythereforeencounterobstaclesinreadingthisstory:vaguereferences,ambiguities,symbolism,imagery,experimentalpointofview,jumbledtimesequences,avoidanceofcleartransitions,withholdingofvitalinformation,etc.Byexploitingthose“tricks,”Faulknerhopestoinvitereaderstoparticipateintheprocessofseekingthetruthsoftheinnerlifeofthecharactersinthestory.Oncewedo,wewillsurelyenjoyreadingthestory.It’slikeworkingatapuzzle:themorepartswestarttofigureout,themoreinterestingthepuzzlewillbecome.The1950NobelPrizepresentationspeechcalledFaulknerasthe“unrivaledmasterofalllivingBritishandAmericannovelists.”Heisregardedasa“deeppsychologist.”“ARoseforEmily”livesuptothathighpraise.ImplicitChronology(approximate)Thenarrationof“ARoseforEmily”doesnotfollowanormalchronologicalorder.Instead,itshiftsintimefrequentlyandgivesoutbitsofinformationaboutthemaincharacter,MissEmily,insuchawaythatthereaderhastopiecethemtogetherbyhimself/