ENG-1102 Comp and Modern English II

For your final research assignment, you are to choose one of the authors whose work we have read during this class. Give us background on the author and explain why the work(s) we have read are representative or are not representative of this author’s work.

Sources Required: 5

Formatting: MLA

Paper Length: 5-6 pages double-spaced, 12 point font, including reference page

Outline: William Faulkner and “A Rose for Emily”

Introduction: William Faulkner wrote in an innovative style that combined realism with symbolism to create on of his finest works, “A Rose for Emily”.

Thesis: William Faulkner was not only a prolific writer but also became an inspiration for other writers to follow with his experimental style and emotional characters.

I. Background

A. Born September 25, 1897 New Albany, Mississippi.

B. Died July 6, 1962 in Byhalia, Mississippi

II. Accomplishments

A. Noted author and novelist

1. Wrote about American South

2. Created realistic, eccentric characters

3. Gothic style

B. Won Nobel Prize

1. 1949- Nobel Prize for Literature

2. Donated part of it to support writers

3. Only Nobel winner from Mississippi

C. Awarded Pulitzer Prizes

1. 1955 for A Fable

2. 1963 for The Reivers

III. Writing Style

A. Used stream of consciousness style

1. Subtle

2. Cerebral

3. Complex

4. Emotional

5. Symbolic

B. Character types

1. Southern aristocrats

2. Working-class southerners

3. Poor whites

4. Slaves and descendants of slaves

IV. Noted novels and short stories

A. The Sound and the Fury (1929)

B. A Rose for Emily (1930 short story)

C. As I Lay Dying (1930)

D. Light in August (1932)

E. Absalom, Absalom! (1936)

Thesis reworded: William Faulkner was one of the greatest American writers in history.

Concluding statement: Faulkner was an inspiration for many writers because of his innovative style, realistic characters and meaningful messages.

Annotated Bibliography

Heller, T. “The Telltale Hair: A Critical Study of William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”. Coe College. n.d.

This critical essay focuses on the relationship between Emily and Jefferson and on the ways in which the town interprets and acts on the information they think they know. The narrator retells a series of incidents in which the town fails to deal with Emily. In each case, the failure results from a previous failure to understand who Emily really is. She is seldom seen and her motives are unknown except as how they are guessed by the townspeople. The reader sympathizes with Emily despite not really knowing why due in part to how the town perceives her. The reader appreciates human individuality even if the town does not.

Kinney, A. “Critical Essays on William Faulkner: The Compson Family”. J.K. Hall Publishing. Boston. 1983.

This is a series of essays about William Faulkner and his style of writing. They include character analysis and psychoanalysis as well as Faulkner structure. There is debate about final messages in the stories and whether they are hopeless or consoling. There are also characters descriptions of for example Caddy, countering the belief that Caddy had a relative lack of awareness which meant a lack of responsibility.

Limbu, B. “A critical analysis of Faulkner’s short story ‘A Rose for Emily’: A Challenge to Nature and Society is destructive.” 2019. Bhupendra.

This is a personal reflection of the philosophy behind this story and what motivates society to judge Emily the way they do. Sometimes people like to make other people scapegoats for their own inadequacies and that is how the writer rationalizes the town’s judgment of her. The symbolism of Emily being buried with soldiers is not lost by this writer who compares their plight to the losing battle fought by Emily herself.

Mambrol, N. “Analysis of William Faulkner’s Novels”. Literariness.org. 2018.

This is an in depth description and analysis of the major novels of William Faulkner, including The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, Sanctuary and Light in August. The writing focuses on juxtaposition of characters, points of view, modes of narration, attitudes and emotional tones. It is a comprehensive analysis that provides scholarly insight into the psyche of the author and his most interesting characters.

Saputri, A. “A Structural Analysis of William Faulkner “A Rose for Emily”. 2009.

This is a comprehensive analysis which details the symbolism in the story but confuses the point of view. The writer states the point of view is the third person omniscient but apparently the author misses the point that the story is told through the first person’s view which is through the eyes if the town. That is an important point because the interpretation of the story depends on it. Still, the article offers some keen insight into her character.