william-faulkner

WilliamFaulknerLifeWilliamFaulkner(1897-1962)wasborninNewAlbany,Mississippi.HeattendedtheUniversityofMississippiinOxfordbeforeandafterhisserviceintheRoyalCanadianAirForceinWorldI.HisliterarycareerbeganinNewOrleanswherehemetSherwoodAnderson,whohelpedhimgethisfirstnovelSoldier’sPaypublishedin1926.TheworkwhichwonFaulkneraNobelPrizein1949isoftenadepictionoflifeinhisfictionalYoknapatawphaCounty,animaginativereconstructionoftheareaadjacenttoOxford.APictureofYoknapatawphaCounty(alittlepostagestampofnativesoil)HisMainWritingsHismajornovels:TheSoundandtheFury(1929)AsILayDying(1930)Sanctuary(1931)LightinAugust(1932)Absalom,Absalom!(1936)TheHamlet(1940)Hisbooksofshortstories:TheseThirteen(1931)Godown,Moses(1942)TheCollectedStoriesofWilliamFanlkner(1950)WilliamFaulknerAmericanWriter1897-1962TheNobelPrizeinLiterature1949forhispowerfulandartisticallyuniquecontributiontothemodernAmericannovelAboutthetext“ARoseforEmily”isoneofFaulkner’smostwidelyreadintheAmericanclassroom.Chinesestudentsmayfinditdifficulttounderstandandappreciate.SomeofthemmaythinkitisabizarrestoryaboutanoldeccentricladyinanAmericanSoutherntown.ItistruethatthesettingofthestoryistheAmericanSouth.Yet,thethemeofthestoryisuniversal,transcendingtheboundariesoftimeandspace.Likemanyotherworksofgreatliterature,thisshortstorytellsaboutlove,death,honor,pride,change,andloss.•ThestoryissetinthesoutherntownofJeffersoninYoknapatawphaCountrywhichisalsothesettingforadozenofhisnovels.•EmilyGrierson,theprotagonist,hasbeentwistedinpersonalitybyforcesbeyondhercontrol.Dominatedbyheraristocraticfather,shehasbeenpreventedfrommarryingandafterhisdeathsheisleftaloneandpenniless.ShekillsherloverHomerBarroninordertokeephimwithher.Shedoesnotacceptchangeofthetimeandalienatesherselffromthecommunity.Sheisinsaneandheractionsgrotesque,butsheisavictim,atragicwomanwhoinvitessympathy.Oneofthethemesofthisstoryistherelationoftheindividualandhisactionstothepast,presentandfuture.Apartfromtheexplorationofpsychologicalreality,thedisplacedchronologyinnarrationisalsocharacteristicofFaulkner’sstyle.TheMeaningoftheTitleThemeaningofthetitleisambiguous,capableofvariousinterpretations.Aroseisacliché,symbolizingloveandapledgeoffaithfulness.FromthestorywecanseeMissEmilywasdeniedlove.So,inthissense,thetitlehasanironicmeaning.Aroseforsomebodycanalsomeanakindofmemorial,anoffering,inmemoryofsomebody.Then,whoofferedaroseforEmily?WritingstyleFlashbackandforeshadowingaretwooftenusedliterarydevicesthatutilizetimeinordertoproduceadesiredeffect.Flashbacksareusedtopresentactionthatoccursbeforethebeginningofastory;foreshadowingcreatesexpectationforactionthathasnotyethappened.Faulknerusesbothdevicesin‘‘ARoseforEmily.’’DetailedStudyoftheTextPartI1.Thestreetusedtohouseonlythebestfamilies.Thengreatchangestookplace:garagesandcottonginswereestablishedonthestreetandtheirexistencewipedoutthearistocratictracesinthatneighborhood.Whilethewholestreetwasbecomingmodernandcommercial,onlyMissEmily’shouseremainedthesame.Althoughherhousewasdecaying,itstillassumedanairofastubbornandfrivolousgirl.Thecottonwagonsandgasolinepumpswereuglyenough,butthishouse,whichwasold,indecay,pretentious,andcompletelyoutofplace,wasmoreunpleasanttolookat.Thisdetailshowsthatthehouseanditsownersharethesamecharacter.2.MissEmilyhadlivedlongandhadbecomeatraditionbecausesherepresentedthearistocracyoftheOldSouththathadlostoutintheCivilWar.Shewasacarebecauseshewasold,unmarried,andwithoutfamily,andthepeopleinthetownfelttheymusttakecareofher.Theyfeltthattakingcareofherwastheirdutyandobligation.Thisobligationpassedfromgenerationtogenerationaslongasshelived.3.MissEmilywouldnothaveacceptedcharity.“Notthat”isusedtosaywhatfollowsisnottrue.CharitywouldbehumiliatingtoMissEmily.Whenherfatherdied,MissEmilywasquitepoor,butbeingaproudwomanfromanaugustfamily,shewouldnotacceptcharity.ColonelSartoris,bornintoanotheraristocraticfamilyinJefferson,hadelaborateideasabouthowwhiteupperclasswomenshouldbetreated.WiththedeclineoftheSouthafterthewar,theserichwhitefamiliesalsodeclined.Heknewthatthewivesanddaughtersofthedecliningplantationownersenjoyedveryhighbutalsooutdatedstatus.Theyshouldbelookedupto,respectedandtakencareof.HeknewexactlywhatMissEmilyneededandhowshefeltnow,andthusinventedataletojustifytheedictsothathecouldgivehersomefinancialaidwithoutappearingcharitable.4.fat,obese,plump,overweight,large,heavy,chubby,stout,tubbyIfyouwanttobepolite,don’tsaythatpeoplearefat.Overweightorjustlarge,inAmericanEnglishheavy,wouldbemorepolite.Plumpismostoftenusedofwomenandchildrenandmeansslightlyorpleasantlyfat.Chubbyismostoftenusedofbabiesandchildrenandalsomeanspleasantlyfatandhealthylooking.Stoutmeansslightlyfatandtubbymeansshortandfat.Ifsomeoneisextremelyfatandunhealthy,he/sheisobese.Obeseisalsothewordusedbydoctors.PartII1.Theladiesdidn’tbelievethataman,anyman,couldkeepakitchenproperly.Whentheterriblesmelldeveloped,theythoughtitwasbecausethemanservantdidn’tkeepthekitchenclean.2.TheGriersonsregardedthemselvesasveryimportantandtheoutsideworldasvulgarfullofpeopleinferiortothem.Theybelong