A Very Brief Introduction William Faulkner A Very Brief Introduction

Biographical info Born in 1897 in Mississippi and died in 1962. One of the most influential authors of the 20th century. Received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1949. Wrote 20 novels and countless short stories.

Writing style and themes Faulkner created an imaginary town called Yoknapatawpha County in Mississippi that he used as the setting for many of his novels and characters. He was a part of the Southern Gothic genre. Many of his stories highlight race relations between blacks and whites in the southern United States. Faulkner used many flashbacks, foreshadowing, and time changes in his novels, which gives his stories added realism (and difficulty reading!).

“A Rose for emily” As you recall, the movement of transcendentalism called for a focus on the individual person. Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” shows what happens when one gets too focused on individualism and instead becomes isolated from others. Like most of Edgar Allen Poe’s stories, “A Rose for Emily” is a gothic story that deals with the macabre.

“A Rose for emily” Faulkner captures the way people in the South spoke back then and so uses the “n” word in this story. This does not make Faulkner racist; he is instead bringing up the theme of race relations in his stories. It shows how the author was concerned about writing his stories more realistically to reflect how people actually spoke and thought.

“A Rose for emily” There are many flashbacks, time changes, and foreshadows to watch out for! You will be completing a non-linear (not chronological) timeline to help you keep track of the time changes. Look out for transition words or when he indicates a character’s age or number of years past. Notice how the story moves backwards and forwards constantly. This adds realism to the story because in real life people are constantly thinking of both the past and future.