Women In William Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha Saga

In the Yoknapatawpha saga which is created by William Faulkner, the large number of women characters from different social classes with their striking personalities and hard destiny form an independent female kingdom and leave a deep impression on both the readers and the critics. In this paper, through the panoramic analysis of the delineation about the women characters in Faulkner's main works in Yoknapatawpha saga, his delineation of women is studied from both horizontal and vertical perspective, and his basic point of view of them is discussed here too. In addition, there is an exploration into the reasons that influence Faulkner's delineation about women and resulted in or affected his views of them. There are five parts in this thesis:In chapter one, there is a general introduction about William Faulkner and the aim of the paper.In chapter two, the women characters are divided into types: various young women, the incompetent mothers and lofty and kind old women. Here, elaborate analysis is made about the controversial young women characters. The panoramic analysis of the women characters appearing in Faulkner's main works makes us grasp the essential features of his delineation of women horizontally.In chapter three, first his basic point of view of women is discussed. Through analysis, the paper concludes that Faulkner holds a deep awe to women. In addition, he always measures the women on the basis of traditional ideas. Meantime, by penetrating into his delineation of women characters vertically, it is discovered that Faulkner's attitude towards women undergoes a subtle and dynamic evolutionary process, that is from the severity in the early period to compassion in the later period, which is shown in his delineation about young women and mothers.In chapter four, the two main factors that influence his delineation of women characters are discussed. On one hand, it is analyzed that the deep historical culture, based on agricultural society, slavery system and Puritan thoughts, has much influence on Faulkner's delineation of women. On the other hand, personal emotional experience that influences his delineation of women characters is discussed, as is shown in three important women in his life: his mother, wife and lover Meta.In chapter five, there is a conclusion about the whole paper.