An Analysis Of Faulkner’s Southern Complex In "A Rose ForEmily":A Narratological Perspective

“A Rose for Emily” is one of Faulkner’s most important short stories,demonstrating his mastery of narrative art as the most outstanding Southern writer of the“Southern Renaissance”.With an elaborate narrative structure,complex shifts in point of view and rich plots,Faulkner vividly portrays the reality of American Southern society after the Civil War and shows the complex mood of nostalgia and criticism for American Southern society in the process of social change by borrowing the fall of the southern noble Grierson family.With the guidance of rhetorical narratology theory,this thesis analyzes Faulkner’s love—hatred Southern complex hidden behind the narrative point of view,point of view shifting,and the unreliable narration caused by the shifting of point of view in “A Rose for Emily”.This thesis maintains that “A Rose for Emily” has two narrative levels.The first narrative level is that the townspeople of Jefferson tell Emily’s story from the collective first-person point of view,and the second narrative level complements Emily’s information from the third-person external point of view and tells the conflict between the townspeople and Emily.At the first narrative level,Emily,who seems to be focalized by the townspeople,is observing the townspeople as well,while at the second narrative level,the townspeople “We” and “They”,who seem to be in the position of focalizing,are also being focalized by the third-person external point of view.Emily’s courageous image of resisting community oppression and upholding the dignity of the aristocracy is expressed in her observation.And in Emily’s “being focalized”,Emily’s image is gradually completed in the intersection of the collective first-person point of view and the third-person external point of view.She breaks the shackles of the world,and pursues happiness bravely,strives to integrate into the community at the same time,but finally becomes isolative and imperious after being oppressed constantly by the Southern value guardians and abandoned by her lover.Meanwhile,in the“focalizing” and “ being focalized” of “We”,the prejudiced,voyeuristic,hypocritical and cold-blooded image of the townspeople emerges from the control of the collective first-person point of view over the psychological depiction and the point of view transgression,as well as the unreliable narration caused by the shift between the collective first-person point of view and the third-person point of view.This thesis holds that in the rhetorical effect of distance control and irony formed by the shift of point of view,Faulkner exposes the fact that the prejudice,interference and slander of Jefferson townspeople against Emily directly cause her distortion and madness,and makes a profound criticism of the backward Southern value represented by the townspeople,while expressing his regret for the demise of the Southern aristocracy represented by Emily.In the exploration of point of view,this thesis finds Faulkner’s ambivalent Southern complex intertwined with love and hatred.