Abstract
The American writer William Faulkner enjoys a high reputation in the literature world and is especially renowned for his skillful application of symbolism in his works, among which the story A Rose for Emily is a typical one. In this study, efforts are made to discuss the application of symbolism in A Rose for Emily from a relatively new perspective-- Emily’s portrait depiction. Due to the unique character setting of the protagonist Emily, Faulkner uses a lot of words to describe the different portraits of Emily in various periods of her lifetime from the third person perspective, thus creating a gap between people’s perception--the “imaginary” Emily and the “real” Emily and leaving abundant room for readers to explore. Therefore, by studying the symbolic meanings behind those varied portrait depictions, we may get a little closer to the spiritual connotation of the novel.
Keywords: symbolism; portrait depiction; the “imaginary Emily”; the “real Emily”
Contents
Abstract
摘 要
1. Introduction-2
2. Faulkner and Symbolism-3
2.1 Symbolism in Faulkner's Works-4
2.2 The Background of Faulkner's Using Symbolism in His Works-4
3. Portraits and Symbolic Meanings-5
3.1 The Viewpoint--Third Person Perspective-6
3.2 The Link between the Varied Portraits of Emily and the vaired Symbolic Meanings-10
4. The "Real Emily" and the Spiritual Connotation of the Story-11
4.1 Revealing the "Real Emily"-12
4.2 The Spiritual Connotation of A Rose for Emily-13
5. Conclusion-14
References-15
