A Comparative Study Of The Irony In Three Interwar Short Stories: "A Rose For Emily", "Roman Fever" And "Big Blonde"

The 1920 s witness a historic transformation in American society.With the end of World War One and the coming of Jazz Age,more women started to join the workforce.In 1920 women gained the right to vote,and theoretically realized an improvement in social,political and economic status in America.However,in literary works,female characters of the same period do not fare much better than they used to.Edith Wharton,William Faulkner,and Dorothy Parker became celebrated novelists in the early 20 th century of America.Edith Wharton(1862-1937),originally known as Edith Newbold Jones,gains a national reputation with the publication of The House of Mirth(1905)and The Age of Innocence(1920).William Faulkner(1897-1962)is esteemed as one of the most eminent writers in American history,especially in southern history,for his remarkable achievements in novels,short stories,poems and screenplays.In 1930 s,Dorothy Parker(1893-1967)becomes an influential ironist,short story writer,and poet,who is well-known for her sharp,ironic and humorous remarks.The three writers show a deep concern for women in their works,and are adept in employing ironic techniques during characterization and plot construction to portray various female images.However,there are few comparative analyses of irony towards their works so far.In this thesis,the author selects altogether three masterpieces of the three writers-“A Rose for Emily”(1930)“Roman Fever”(1934)and“Big Blonde”(1929),and through a comprehensive study of the ironic strategies,tries to compare the different female images through the different levels of irony in their survival.This thesis will focus on the irony embedded in the three short stories to achieve a comparative study of the three female images.In “A Rose for Emily,” Faulkner mainly uses irony of events and verbal irony to reveal that Emily's eccentricity is in effect her silent yet powerful rebellion against the idealized southern ladyhood.Through a skillful ironic strategy,Faulkner also conveys his sympathy and respect towards Miss Emily for her courage.In“Roman Fever,” Wharton,with the aid of irony of incongruity,irony of events,and understatement,displays a seemingly incongruous image of Grace,whose superficial weakness forms a sharp contrast with her actual bravery.In “Big Blonde,” Dorothy Parker presents the tragic life of Hazel Morse through irony of incongruity,irony of fate,and verbal irony.Hazel's recalcitrance against patriarchy turns out to be a failure.Through the discussion of irony,the thesis points out that among the three female characters,Emily's defiance towards patriarchy is the most violent,and Grace's rebellion seems more temperate and strategic.As for Hazel who lives in the modern 1920 s,her tragic life and unsuccessful rebellion is the most ridiculous and ironic.Ultimately,none of the three escapes from the repression of the male-dominant system.This thesis draws the conclusion that despite that women have realized the political equality in 1920 with the legitimation of women's suffrage,women are still unable to get rid of the patriarchy's yoke in the immediate decades.Nevertheless,the important thing is that they have struggled and paved the way for women's liberation for the generations to come.