Critical Overview |
Critics on "A Rose for Emily" | Critics on "Barn Burning"
Critical Overview
The body of critical literature on Faulkner's work is vast, and it continues to
grow at a rapid rate. After Shakespeare and perhaps Joyce, there has been more
discussion of his work than that of any other writer. An 1987 overview requires
seventy closely printed pages just to survey the critical material published on
his work in the previous sixteen years. As might be expected from this amount
of material, studies of Faulkner include virtually every conceivable mode of criticism.
- Reader-Response Criticism:
- Robert Dale Parker is one of the critics using this approach in Faulkner and the Novelistic
Imagination (1985).
- Deconstructionist Criticism:
- One example of deconstructionist criticism is John T. Matthews' The Play of
Faulkner's Language (1982).
- Mythological and Psychological Criticism:
- One of the common themes in Faulkner's fiction is incest. Critics often apply Oedipal patterns to such works
as The Sound and the Fury and Absalom, Absalom!
- Gender Criticism:
- As would be
expected with so important a writer, and one whose novels and stories include
an array of fascinating female characters, Faulkner has attracted the attention
of a considerable number of feminist critics who approach him through the
perspective of gender studies.
- Formalist Criticism:
- Faulkner's experimental narrative techniques have been the basis
for a good deal of formalist attention.
- Biographical Studies:
- Many critics have examined the relationship between Faulkner's life and
his art in the context of his use of personal and family history, as Judith Bryant Wittenberg does in Faulkner: The Transfiguration of Biography (1979). Critics using a biographical approach also consider Faulkner's reading, his literary influences, and other
components of his development as a writer.
- Historical and Sociological Criticism:
- As many of his major works range
backward in time in an effort to portray the history of the South, and as one
of the most prominent themes in his fiction is the often tormented story of
white and black in the South, a large amount of the critical commentary on
Faulkner has devoted itself to historical and/or sociological inquiry.
Critics on "A Rose for Emily"
- Excerpt from an interpretation of "A Rose for Emily," by Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren (Understanding Fiction, 1959)
- A brief psychological consideration of "A Rose for Emily" and the limits of psychological criticism.
- Excerpt from "History in 'A Rose for Emily'," by William Van O’Connor (A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, edited by M. Thomas Inge, 1970)
- Is Miss Grierson a symbol of the Old South or the new?
- From "Atmosphere and Theme in Faulkner's 'A Rose for Emily'," by Ray B. West, Jr. (William Faulkner: Four Decades of Criticism,
edited by Linda Welshimer Wagner, Michigan State University Press, 1973)
- West considers the reflection of the self in this passage.
- On "A Rose for Emily" by Dana Gioia (from The Longman Anthology of Short Fiction, eds. Dana
Gioia and R. S. Gwynn, 2001)
- A brief summary of the Gothic influences in the story.
- On "A Rose for Emily" by Victor Strandberg (from Reference Guide to Short Fiction, 1999)
- A look at how choice and determinism battle in the story.
Critics on "Barn Burning"
- Excerpt from "Barn Burning': A Definition of Evil," by Edmond L. Volpe (from Faulkner, the Unappeased Imagination: A Collection of Critical Essays,
edited by Glenn O. Carey, 1980)
- Volpe discusses the importance of social class in the story.
- On "Barn Burning" by Joseph M. Flora (from Reference Guide to Short Fiction, 1999)
- A consideration of the conflict between family loyalty and truth.
- On "Barn Burning" by Dana Gioia (from The Longman Anthology of Short Fiction, eds. Dana
Gioia and R. S. Gwynn, 2001)
- A brief summary of the story’s main themes.
Additional Resources: The Bibliography includes an extended list of writings about William Faulkner. Continue your Web explorations by visiting Faulkner Links.
