摘 要

《献给艾米莉的一朵玫瑰花》是福克纳短篇小说的代表作，也是一篇典型的哥特式小说。 在这篇小说中，作者运用了大量的哥特式写作手法，描述了主人公艾米莉如何从一位高贵的贵族小姐变成了一个行事怪诞而且冷漠的谋杀者。本文从哥特式角度入手从三个方面分析主人公艾米莉。第一，艾米莉怪诞的人物形象。由于常年生活在封闭的状态，她逃避现实并幻想自己处在另一个空间，成了一个游走于现实与幻觉之间的孤魂。其次，她与父亲和爱人的不正常关系。由于缺乏母爱和父亲的专横控制，她失去了与外界交流的权利，并因过度依赖父爱，形成了恋父情结；而当她爱上一个与自己有着完全不同价值观并向往自由生活的北方佬荷默时，他们之间的关系完全错位，也注定了这段感情的失败。最后是艾米莉的死亡--她心理上的死亡以及身体上的寿终正寝。本文揭示了美国旧南方的价值观和传统观对当时人们的深刻的而痛苦的影响，以及它对人性的摧残和束缚。

关键词：威廉·福克纳；《献给艾米莉的一朵玫瑰花》；哥特式；艾米莉；美国南方

Contents

1. Introduction……………………………………………………………….....…….1
2. Demonstration……………………………………………………………….…….2

2.1. Gothic novels and Gothic features.......……………………………………..........2

2.2. William Faulkner and the story A Rose for Emily................………………..........3

2.3. Analysis of the Gothic features in Emily................................................................4

2.3.1. Emily’s weird character--a lonely soul wandering between reality and illusion..4

2.3.2. Emily’s abnormal relationships with others……………………………………..7

2.3.2.1.The relationship between Emily and her father............................………..........8

2.3.2.2.The relationship between Emily and her lover................……………………..10

2.3.3. Emily’s death........….................…………………………………………….….12

3. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….….14

Works Cited……………………………………………………………………............15

Bibliography……………………………………………………………………...........16

An Analysis of the Gothic Heroine Emily in A Rose for Emily

1. Introduction

William Faulkner (1897-1962), who enjoys his reputation around the world, is one of the most influential writers and American modernist novelists in American literary history. As the representative of South American literary, he is inevitably affected by the Gothic tradition. He uses Gothic style in many of his works, such as the Sound and the Fury(1929), A Rose for Emily(1930), Sanctuary(1931), Light in August(1932)，Absalom, Absalom(1936) and so on. He not only reveals the secret and dark things of humanity, but also makes moral exploration and social criticism by using the Gothic style. Combining violence, the plot of murder, the terrific atmosphere of Gothic novel with the detective novel and the mystery novel, he produces a strong artistic effect which makes his works have permanent charm.

In his famous short story A Rose for Emily published in April, 1930, Faulkner shapes the weird characters, creates an eerie atmosphere, sets up the mysterious plot and describes the death element by using Gothic techniques. It shows the protagonist’s inhuman life, revealing that the old southern tradition and patriarchy have brought about the destruction of female spirit and the devastation of humanity. The protagonist Emily is an elegant and noble girl in the beginning, but finally she becomes a weird, mysterious and cold murder due to the decline of her family, her stubborn and patriarchal father and people’s pressure on her spirit. She is a typical Gothic character: her weird image--the lonely soul wandering between reality and illusion, her abnormal and horrible behaviors--Electra complex and necrophilia, and her death--full of mystery and horror, are all full of Gothic features.

This thesis is divided into three parts, concentrating respectively on the Gothic novels and Gothic features, the story of A Rose for Emily and the analysis of the Gothic heroine Emily. And the analysis of Emily will focus on the weird character of Emily, Emily’s abnormal relationships with her father and lover, and Emily’s death.