A Rose For Emily
William Faulkner (1897-1962) is most widely known for his epic portrayal, in some
twenty novels, of the tragic conflict between the old and the new South. The
majority of Faulkner's works are centered around his hometown of Oxford, in
Lafayette County, Mississippi. However, in Faulkner's fictional literature, the
setting is renamed Jefferson, in Yoknapatawpha County. In addition, names from
Faulkner's family, such as Sartoris, consistently appear throughout his work. In
fact, his great-grandfather William Clark Falkner- the "Old Colonel" -was the
model for Colonel Sartoris in various novels. Overall, Faulkner's numerous
stories encompass the time period ranging from pre-Civil War days through the
early 1960's. This author's fiction recreates more than a century of Jefferson
life. People of all sorts come into sharp focus in his literature. Despite his
complex and usually confusing style, the "old verities and truths of the heart"
are nearly always emphasized.
- Excerpts from "A Rose for Emily"
- Passages that shed light on the story
- An analysis of "A Rose for Emily"
- by Celia Rodriguez
9/3/96