对于MysteriousMysteriousAttraction

Abstract: The world of Faulkner’s work does not feel natural, comfortable, or recognizable in the cultural way that realist work feels to many readers. When you read some of his novels or stories, you’ll be strongly attracted by its mystery and darkness. One of the important elements causes such an effect is the best use of the gothic devices. And such devices function in two ways. First, it helps the story achieve its central purpose fully. Second, it strengthens the significance of its purpose. And A rose for Emily is one of such important cases.
Key words:gothic deviceysteryscareattractiondeath
A rose for Emily is Faulkner’s first short story published in 1930. Set in town of Jefferson in Yoknapatawpha, the story focuses on Emily Grierson, an eccentric spinster who refuses to accept the passage of time, or the inevitable change and loss that accompanies it. Simple as it is in plot, the story is pregnant with meaning. As a descendent of the southern aristocracy, Emily is typical of those in Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha stories, who are the symbols of the Old South, but the prisoners of the past. In this story, Faulkner makes best use of the Gothic devices in narration, which gives this common story unlimited attraction and mystery. Meanwhile the central purpose is fully achieved and the significance of the purpose is strengthened. The deformed personality and abnormality Emily demonstrates in her relationship with her sweetheart is dramatized in such a way that we feel shocked and thrilled as we read along.
Under the influence of the Gothic literature, Faulkner, as a southern writer of America, accepted this writing technique in his works. And this made his stories and novels are so attractive and mysterious. The basic feature of Gothic novels and stories are Gothic castles, ridiculous cases, scared things and mysteries and the evil protagonist. Human beings are born with scare. The famous modern American Gothic novelist, Lovecraft said: The most ancient and strongest feeling of human is scare. When reading a Gothic story, we are scared strongly; meanwhile we feel that we are safe. That is to say, we can get a strong feeling of pleasure. Such kind of pleasure comes from the sublime feeling of Gothic novel concerning scare. Just as the feeling we get when we facing the high and steep mountain, roaring river, original wildness, forests, ancient ruins or lighting and thunder. We seemed to he experienced a kind of mysterious transcendental strength and couldn’t help being filled with admiration and scare. Just by using the Gothic devices, Faulkne摘自：论文查重www.618jyw.com
r could make his short story A rose for Emily so attractive and vibratory.职称论文范文www.618jyw.com
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Then we know there still are many mysteries left. What did Miss Emily use that arsenic, and what had happened in the top floor of the house? Why it was shut for over 40 years and where is Mr. Homer Barron? So the author hinted us if we he a look at the top floor of the house, we’ll know all the things. Then that room in that region above stairs was broken down. Then we know all the things: the room was decorated like a bridal chamber. Though the room was pervaded with dust, we can see it clearly. And the man (of course Homer undoubtedly) himself lay in the bed, dead. He was killed! And Miss Emily killed her sweetheart with the arsenic obviously. What kind of feeling do you 学术论文下载www.618jyw.com
get here? And even worse thing was that “we noticed that in the second pillow was the indentation of a head. One of us lifted something from it, and leaning forward, that faint and invisible dust dry and acrid in the nostrils, we saw a long strand of iron-gray hair.” Of course, we know that’s Miss Emily’s unique hair. I know you are sick when you read this. Poor Emily! She owned her sweetheart by killing him and to our great surprise; she slept with her sweetheart’s body.
And such is Faulkner, one of the greatest writers of the world. He used thegothic devices bestly, which gives his work A Rose for Emily unlimited attraction and mystery. Meanwhile the central purpose is fully achieved and the significance of the purpose is strengthened. We will never forget Emily is one of those who are the symbols of the Old South, but the prisoners of the past.
［Notes］
［1］Philip M. Weinstein The Cambridge Companion to William Faulkner (shanghai foreign language education press, 2002)
［2］Wu Weiren History and Anthology of American Literature (Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 1990)