Literature of the South- Faulkner's Characteristics

• Southern Literature- literature about the American geographical South
• Recurring motifs throughout most Southern Literature
• Conservative ideas also prevail in Southern Literature
• A few genres of Southern Literature are Literature of Slavery, Pastoral Literature, and Counter-Pastoral Literature

Literature of the South-

Faulkner's Characteristics

Created by Tanya Kornilova, Veer Choudry, Nina Hong, and Lauren Stojak

Faulkner's

Characteristics

"He had a face like a nutcracker; a scrawny man of no particular age with merry secretive eyes." -William Faulkner

Commonly Used Themes

• Racism

• Man is evil

• The heart is in conflict with itself

Tones

• tragedy
• mixed with comedy

Characters

• ranged from runaway slaves to working class Southerners

Robert Penn Warren and Faulkner

Similarities between Faulkner and Warren:

Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Sound and the Fury Summary." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <http://www.shmoop.com/sound-and-the-fury/summary.html>.

"William Faulkner (1897-1962)." William Faulkner (1897-1962). Ed. John Lowe. Georgetown University, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <http://faculty.georgetown.edu/bassr/heath/syllabuild/iguide/faulkner.html>.

N.d. Nobelprize.org. Wikipedia. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/William_Faulkner_1949.jpg>.

N.d. Buckeyemuse. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <http://buckeyemuse.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/rpwarren.jpg>.

"Robert Penn Warren (1905-1989)." Robert Penn Warren (1905-1989). Ed. Robert H. Brinklemeyer. Georgetown University, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <http://faculty.georgetown.edu/bassr/heath/syllabuild/iguide/warren.html>.

"American Southern Literature." : William Faulkner: Writing Style and Techniques. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2014. <http://americanliteraturegroup6.blogspot.com/2011/06/william-faulkner-writing-style-and.html>.

Noel Polk, Ph.D. "William Faulkner." PBS. PBS, Mar. 2007. Web. 16 Sept. 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americannovel/timeline/faulkner.html>.

• Both are known for long monologues from the main characters.
• Often employ stream of consciousness technique.
• Emphasize emotions and passions and psychological motivations.
• Morality is dubious; who is right?

"Athens Regional Library System." Southern Literature. Wikipedia, 22 July 2014. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <http://www.athenslibrary.org/books-movies-a-more/need-a-good-read/southern-literature>.

Parnell, Lindsay. "Mississippi." Defining the New South: Faulkner, Williams and Wright. The Culture Trip, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <http://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/mississippi/articles/defining-the-new-south-faulkner-williams-and-wright/>.

Ryan. Jack Burden, All the King's Men Movie. Digital image. Reel Opinions. Stomp Tokyo, 24 Sept. 2006. Web. 15 Sept. 2014.

<http:/keiichisreelopinions.blogspot.com/2006/09/all-kings-men.html>.

William Faulkner. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikipedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Faulkner>.

Bibliography

Literature of the South

Characteristics:

• Authors explored the behaviors of people and the social order of the South.

• Characters are broken in spirit and are struggling to find a place in society again.

Background Behind the Genre

• Stories are set in the South and may take place on a plantation, old slave quarters or broken downtown's.

• Southern Gothic literature stories focus on grotesque themes.
• Characters are complex and usually mentally unstable
• Morality is often questioned
• A genre that was inspired by early Gothic writing and popular in 18th century England.
• Began in 19th century

William Faulkner (1897-1962)

• Born in New Albany, Mississippi

• Faulkner's contemporaries included Williams, Hurston, Penn Warren, and Porter
• Southern Renaissance lasted from 20's to 40's
• The writers regarded the south with a degree of objectivity through the techniques of international modernism

• 1926- Published his first novel, Soldier's Pay

• 1929-1942- Most productive period

Southern Authors

• The fictional county of Yoknapatawpha, Mississippi is home to many of his novels

• Explored the idea of the American South as raising a sense of the hopeless in poor communities

Contents of Their Works?

Faulkner's Characteristics

Southern Literature

• Societal analysis
• Man's position in world
• Displayed diverse characters
• Redefining past
• Relationship with nature
• Inconsistent timeline

"There is no mechanical way to get the writing done, no shortcut. The young writer would be a fool to follow a theory." -William Faulkner, 1956

• focuses on the details of the characters' remarks and state of mind

• broke the time frame recombining it with a new event

• switched different perspectives and voices

• stream of consciousness

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