Light in Faulkner: The indomitability of women in William Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County novels

A gender examination of William Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha works, the thesis delineates the author's subtle feminist proclivities in his regional texts. Research reviews the history of southern womanhood and evidences changes in southern gender roles in the Civil War era as well as the transition's appearance in Faulkner's works. Analysis examines feminine strengths too, as it investigates ways in which Faulknerian men highlight women's vigor and notes firm examples of resilient southern women. Also, the study evidences women's innovation as they redefine presumably feminine traits to better serve new women's interests, and they mark female continuance as progressive and optimistic in the post-bellum South. Furthermore, subtler evidence of influential womanhood is evidenced in Faulkner's works, as women's narrative authority, the author's emotionally evocative language, and the works' symbolism each divulge a pervading femininity meant to subtly impact audience sentiment in Faulkner's works.