Since I have read some of Faulkner before, I was actually a bit more interested in reading “A Rose for Emily.” It was no surprise that this novel was themed around death as most of his work is dark and as usual, the story wasn’t told through the eyes of Emily, but through the eyes of the town. I think he does this to create more suspense. If I would have known what Emily was thinking the whole time, I wouldn’t have wondered if maybe the town people has suspected right all along.
As for “Old Gardiston,” I found this one a little less interesting. It was set during the civil war and embodied some of the conflict between the north and the south. Although, we were given a glimmer of hope at the end when Gardis marries Captain Newell because this is a picture of the joining of the north and south.
Both of these stories had political elements because they were based around conflicts of the time: old south vs. new south and north vs. the south. Keeping with the Southern Gothic theme, there was of course an aspect of grotesque in these stories, especially in “A Rose for Emily,” when we find that she was keeping the corpse of her dead lover in the house.
I've read some of Faulkner's work before, and after researching him and learning more about him, I think we both made a connection between his personal attributes and his writing. I agree with your comments about "Old Gardiston." I think it had less of a plot than "A Rose for Emily," and did not have as interesting a storyline. It did demonstrate the true southern gothic though. I find the contrasts between the south and the north interesting. Glad we did Faulkner for our author
ReplyDeleteI've read Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying" before and it does have some similarities with "A Rose For Emily". Especially with death and the corpse. But that is what makes it grotesque and a true Southern gothic. I agree with you that "Old Gardiston" was a little boring. The most important point in it was the fall of the South and the clash between the old South and the New South.
ReplyDeleteI agree that both of these stories showed the struggle between the "new" and "old" south. Both of these women did not want to give up their old southern identity. However in the end of both of their stories they are forced to face reality. Emily is caught with a dead body in her home and Gardis's house burns down and she is left to marry a northerner.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that A Rose For Emily was told through the eyes of the town and other people really did add to the suspense the reader felt. Southern Gothic and grotesque were both apparent. The twisted ending of A Rose for Emily was intense.
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