Analysis of Southern Gothic Literature

Analysis of Southern Gothic Literature Southern Gothic literature, which is a sub-genre of the Gothic writing style, is unique to the American South. Southern Gothic literature has many of the same aspects as Gothic literature; it focuses on topics such as death, madness, and the super natural as well has having many mystical, bizarre, violent, and grotesque aspects. These tools are used "to explore social issues and reveal the cultural character of the American South (Wikipedia)." The authors of Southern Gothic writing use damaged characters to enhance their stories, and to show deeper highlights of unpleasant southern characteristics. These characters are usually set apart from their societies due to their mental, physical, and or social disabilities. However not all the aspects of the characters are bad "it is more often the case that a mixture of good and bad is found in most of the characters (McFLY)" The authors of these stories do give the main character some good qualities; this is so the reader will fill sympathy and understanding for the character. Two authors who exhibit the Southern Gothic writing style are William Faulkner, who wrote "A Rose for Emily", and Flannery O'Conner, the author of "Good Country People" and "A Good Man is Hard to Find". William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" is an example of Southern Gothic literature. It contains many aspects of Southern Gothic writing, such as an old dark mansion, death, mystery, bizarre events, and the crazy Miss. Emily. The story takes place in a small town in Jefferson Mississippi. The narrator tells us the story of Miss. Emily Grierson, from the town's point of view. "‘A Rose for Emily' is the remarkable story of Emily Grierson, an aging spinster in Jefferson, whose death and funeral drew the attention of the entire town (Faulkner n.p.)." The first sign that this story is going to be Southern Gothic is when Faulkner describes her funeral. According to the narrator, when Miss. Emily died, everyone

Cited: Definition of southern gothic as provided by Wikipedia: . Dilworth, Thomas "A Romance to Kill For: Homicidal Complicity in Faulkner 's A Rose for Emily" Studies in Short Fiction (36:3) 1999 251-62 O 'Connor, Flannery. "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" Perrine 's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. 8th ed. Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle, 2001. 495- 509. O 'Connor, Flannery. "Good Country People". n.p. 31 Jan. 2006. . Faulkner, William. "A Rose for Emily" 2002 Perrine 's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. 8th ed. Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle, 2001. 281- 289. Faulkner, William: William Faulkner on the web: . "Southern Gothic." McFLY. n.d. 5 Feb. 2006 .