Saturday, August 17, 2019
William Faulkner’s ââ¬ÅA Rose for Emilyââ¬Â
William Faulkner's ââ¬Å"A Rose for Emilyâ⬠was originally published in the April 30, 1930, issue of Forum. It was his first short story published in a major magazine. A slightly revised version was published in two collections of his short fiction, These 13 (1931) and Collected Stories (1950). It has been published in dozens of anthologies as well. ââ¬Å"A Rose for Emilyâ⬠is the story of an eccentric spinster, Emily Grierson. An unnamed narrator details the strange circumstances of Emilyââ¬â¢s life and her odd relationships with her father, her lover, and the town of Jefferson, and the horrible secret she hides. The storyââ¬â¢s subtle complexities continue to inspire critics while casual readers find it one of Faulknerââ¬â¢s most accessible works. The popularity of the story is due in no small part to its gruesome ending. Faulkner often used short stories to ââ¬Å"flesh outâ⬠the fictional kingdom of Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, for his novels. In fact, he revised some of his short fiction to be used as chapters in those novels. ââ¬Å"A Rose for Emilyâ⬠takes place in Jefferson, the county seat of Yoknapatawpha. Jefferson is a critical setting in much of Faulknerââ¬â¢s fiction. The character of Colonel Sartoris plays a role in the story; he is also an important character in the history of Yoknapatawpha. However, ââ¬Å"A Rose for Emilyâ⬠is a story that stands by itself. Faulkner himself modestly referred to it as a ââ¬Å"ghost story,â⬠but many critics recognize it as an extraordinarily versatile work. As Frank A. Littler writes in Notes on Mississippi Writers, ââ¬Ëââ¬ËA Rose for Emilyââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ has been ââ¬Ëââ¬Ëread variously as a Gothic horror tale, a study in abnormal psychology, an allegory of the relations between North and South, a meditation on the nature of time, and a tragedy with Emily as a sort of tragic heroine. ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢
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