On the Grotesque in American Southern Gothic Fiction: A Case Study of “A Rose for Emily”

Abstract

Taking Faulkner’s short story “A Rose for Emily” as an example, this paper aims to explore the grotesque in American Southern Gothic Fiction in general, Faulkner's works in particular. Compared with British and the 19th-century American [northern] Gothic literature, the southern Gothic by Faulkner and others reflects more reality and digs deeper into the humanity in the specific social environment. The grotesque in “A Rose for Emily” is fully illustrated from various aspects such as the arrangements of the setting atmosphere, characterization, the sublimation of the theme of death, the wording and the excellent writing techniques. This short story can serve as a mirror, through which people can learn about the historic changes during American Civil War. The study reconfirms that there are great impacts of the social changes and the external environment on the personal psychology and ideologies in American southern states.