Abstract

The essay attempts to discuss the factors of Emily’ tragic fate in the classic short novel A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner and the universality of Emily and other female characters in his Yoknapatawpha County. Firstly, the essay starts with the concept of the novel itself from a horizontal perspective. After the Civil War, the conflicts between South and North and the backwardness of the south of America itself cannot be ignored, especially the family-oriented plantation economy, Puritanism and the problem of slavery and race. The first two consist of the foundation of the tragedy of Emily. Secondly, and vertically, the essay  compares other female characters in Faulkner’s works and Emily to analyze the similarities. Actually, the tragic of Emily reflects the author’s ambivalent attitude toward his homeland, the South of America which is discussed in this essay as well.

Key words : feminism; Faulkner; Gothic Literature; Literature of the American South

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

1.Introduction1

2.Literature Review1

2.1 Symbolic meanings2

2.2 Feminism prospective2

2.3 Comparison2

3.Emily’s Tragic Fate3

3.1 A personal tragedy.3

3.2 A society tragedy4

3.2.1 Patriarchal oppression.5

3.2.2 Puritanism7

3.2.3 Aristocratic status8

4.Faulkner’s Ambivalent View of Southern America.9

4.1 The positive view.9

4.2 The negative view.10

5.Conclusion11

References.12