A Rose For Emily Gothic Analysis

William Faulkner, an American writer, was most famous for his stories which were set in the American south. One of which, he wrote about a woman’s life named Emily Grierson. She was isolated in her early years which made her somewhat of a mystery to the town. This short story tells many dark and contradictory situations throughout her life, making it one of the best pieces of southern gothic literature in America. Southern gothic literature, as defined by Oxford, “is a genre of southern writing, they often focus on grotesque themes, and damaged, even delusional characters” (Bjerre). In the short story, “A Rose for Emily,” William Faulkner uses the characteristics of a southern setting, decay, and outsiders to create a piece of southern gothic

Southern Gothic literature is a sub-genre of the Gothic writing style. It is unique to Southern America. Southern gothic style is a style of writing that engages very ugly and ironic events to study the value of the American south and its people. In this essay, I’m going to go over each story and give some details about the authors and their backgrounds. On one page, I will be comparing and contrasting all three stories. I will show how they’re similar through tone, plot, and scene in the story. And at the end, I am going to describe the three stories; “A Rose for Emilycomma inside quotes”, “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, and “Sanctuary”. Period inside quotes All of these short stories are good examples of southern gothic writing, because

William Faulkner’s first Gothic literature story ever written is, “A Rose for Emily”. Gothic literature originates from the medieval times in Europe and the United States, specifically during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Gothic literature emphasizes ghost stories, mysteries and circumstances often not found in regular stories. It also focuses on a specific theme and setting, generally a sinister house or a frightening castle, to create a tone and mood of suspense. More specifically, after the American Civil War in 1866, many Southern writers, such as Faulkner, created a new genre of writing. Southern gothic is a style of writing that is unique to the Southern States of South America. Southern Gothic writer’s, such as Faulkner, took the depressing, defeated and weary Southern culture in America, and used it as an inspiration to write. For instance, Faulkner uses Emily Grierson, the protagonist of “A Rose for Emily”, to emphasize unpleasant and dark aspects of the Southern gothic culture.

Raymond Carter once said, “It’s possible, in a poem or short story, to write about commonplace things and objects using commonplace but precise language, and to endow those things - a chair, a window curtain, a fork, a stone, a woman’s earring - with immense, even startling power.” “A Rose for Emily”, a satire, exposes the life of the Old South and development of the allegory through the characters. Each representing an allegorical representation of different political aspects within the South and their loyalty to their tradition.

Assumptions that linger amongst exaggerations of the truth are the cause for unnecessary explanations of one’s actions. Today, people are ridiculed for their differences. Humans, everyone included, have become accustom to the feeling of curiosity and have no boundaries when exploiting faults in everyone’s moral and physical identities. In Southern Gothic Literature, artists and writers write to expose faults in southern culture. They expose faults by creating complex characters that were mentally unstable, choosing a spooky/odd setting, and addressing social order and morality. “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner is considered Southern Gothic Literature due to its complex character, Miss Emily, the eerie plantation home, and the lack of

William Faulkner was said to be one of the best Southern Gothic writers and the Southern Gothicism was brought about by Edgar Allen Poe in 1839. His novels and short stories such as Absalom! Absalom! (1936), The Sound and the Fury (1929), and “A Rose for Emily” (1930) were of the Southern Gothic genre. This paper will discuss what Southern Gothic is and its characteristics, along with William Faulkner and how Faulkner’s work conforms to the Southern Gothic genre.

Her home, a once magnificent and stunning plantation, gradually began to deteriate after her father’s death, symboling the destruction of the old south and everything it stood for. After her father’s death the people of the town began to take pity on Ms Emily only because she was one of few left that symbolized the old times. This is the opening to a new life for Miss Emily, She began to suffer from a bodily decline, which accompanied her age, Symbolizing decline of the “old” South. Throughout the story Miss Emily slowly became older and fat , suggesting the collapse among the “old” South. When Miss Emily passes away the “old” South is gone forever. The young people of the town after the civil war ultimately symbolize the “new” South. Realizing Emily was fixed in her past, the people of the town attempted to convey her back to the present. For example, the city authorities tried to get Miss Emily to pay her taxes, but she refused because Colonel Sartoris came up with a lie so she would not have to pay her

William Faulkner’s short story, “A Rose for Emily,” tells the story of an old woman’s life and death in a small southern town and how her eccentricities lead to town gossip, scandal, and eventually, murder. Opening on the scene of Miss Emily’s funeral, Faulkner weaves his story retroactively, and in doing so is able to craft what is essentially a southern gothic murder mystery. While at first glance, Miss Emily is the centerpiece of the story – acting as the narrative’s catalyst and recipient of all the narrative’s attention – the conclusion of the tale reveals that not only is the story darker than the reader originally believed, but it is Miss Emily’s old beau, Homer Barron, who is the epicenter of the story, and his murdered body the source

William Faulkner 's "A Rose for Emily" is an example of Southern Gothic literature. It

During the late eighteenth century, gothicism became a popular literary genre. Years later, William Faulkner introduced the idea of Southern gothicism, which combined elements of Southern regionalism and gothicism. A fine example of Southern gothicism is Faulkner's short story, “A Rose For Emily.”

William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” starts out in a very different way than most stories. “A Rose for Emily” is a short story about a spinster woman. The story is told from the point of view of many people in her town almost like gossip. It is continuously shifting from one perspective to the other painting a full picture and time progression for the reader. Faulkner’s story has a twist though, his writing and language suggests that appearances can be deceiving.

During the late eighteenth century, gothicism became a popular literary genre. Years later, William Faulkner introduced the idea of Southern gothicism, which combined elements of Southern regionalism and gothicism. A fine example of Southern gothicism is Faulkner's short story, “A Rose For Emily.”

The famous poet and short story writer, Raymond Carver once said, “It’s possible, in a poem or short story, to write about commonplace things and objects using commonplace but precise language, and to endow those things - a chair, a window curtain, a fork, a stone, a woman’s earring - with immense, even startling power.” “A Rose for Emily”, a satire, exposes the life of the Old South after the civil war and the development of the allegory through the characters. Each representing an allegorical representation of different political aspects within the South and their loyalty to their tradition that will be discussed.

Abstract：Gothic story is one of the important subgenres of fiction in American literature. As an outstanding representative of Southern Gothic, William Faulkner is widely known in the 20th century literature world with his unique style. “ A Rose for Emily” is one of his most famous short story in Gothic style.

. The narrator reveals the main events of her life, such as the death of her father, the disappearance of her lover, and the events surrounding her death, and the thoughts of the townspeople on Emily. This is related with the signs of patriarchy, religion and its influence, and also at the expectations on women in the story “A Rose for Emily”. The central idea of the story is how narrow-minded attitudes can cause others to withdraw. The principal themes of the story are: bitterness, social class, generation gap, and forbidden love. Emily is one of the people who withdraw because of narrow-mindedness. This story helps to understand the human psyche. It is connected with dark aspects of human life.