William Faulkner – Interesting Literature

The Narrator and Narration of ‘A Rose for Emily’ Explained

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘A Rose for Emily’ is William Faulkner’s most widely studied short story, and its distinctive narrative voice is one reason for the story’s continued appeal. More so than ‘Barn Burning’ and ‘Dry September’, which are probably Faulkner’s other best-known stories, ‘A Rose for Emily’ uses narration not as a means of telling a linear narrative, but to produce other effects – effects which are worth stopping to consider in more depth and detail.

The Setting of Faulkner’s ‘A Rose for Emily’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘A Rose for Emily’ is a classic American short story with an unsettling denouement on the final page. In just a dozen pages, William Faulkner’s narrator conjures an ageing matriarch of the Old South, telling us about her life, her love, and her death.

The Symbolism of ‘A Rose for Emily’ Explained

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘A Rose for Emily’ is one of the most widely studied American short stories of the twentieth century, but the subtle narrative style and William Faulkner’s use of symbolism are often difficult to interpret. Starting with the ‘rose’ in the story’s title, the text is rich with symbols whose significance can only be determined through careful analysis.

‘A Rose for Emily’: Characters

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘A Rose for Emily’ by William Faulkner contains some memorable characters besides Emily herself. Even the narrator is a curious creation and deserving of further discussion, since Faulkner does some interesting things with narrative in his short story.

Let’s take a closer look at the characters in ‘A Rose for Emily’, both great and small, central and peripheral, and explore their significance to the overall story, as well as the part they play in its plot.

‘A Rose for Emily’: Themes

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

William Faulkner’s celebrated short story ‘A Rose for Emily’, which was initially published in Forum in 1930 before being reprinted in his short-story collection These Thirteen the following year, encompasses a great number of important and weighty themes within its dozen or so pages.