William Faulkner Nobel Prize for Literature 1949 Created Yoknapatawpha, Mississippi

“Given the choice between the experience of pain and nothing, I would choose pain.” “Hollywood is a place where a man can get stabbed in the back while climbing a ladder.” “If I were reincarnated, I'd want to come back a buzzard. Nothing hates him or envies him or wants him or needs him. He is never bothered or in danger, and he can eat anything.” “The past is never dead. It's not even past.”

Look for the implied, the abstract, the symbolic Look for “the old verities and truths of the heart.” Find passages that suggest meaning beyond plot Be willing to ask ‘why’

Considerations for “Barn Burning” Describe the buildings in the story. How are they presented to the reader? What is their significance? What are the possessions of the Snopes family? Describe them. What significance do they have in the story? Locate and explore references to the idea of “owning people” and to the discrepancies of wealth in the story. Locate the major references to Abner Snopes. List words and phrases used to describe him. What do you notice?

Theme Must be a generalization about life that is specific enough to reflect the significant aspects of story (possible lesson, suggested moral, implied main point…) Must be expressed in full sentences with a clear stance (see above) Must encompass the entire story (literally and implied) Avoid clichés. Avoid being so general that theme could apply to any number of stories.