On the Native Complex in William Faulkner’s Short Stories_英语论文

摘要

威廉·福克纳是20世纪美国最重要的小说家，他一生都致力于描写他那块“邮票般大小的故土”，大多数作品都是以他所虚构的约克纳帕塔法县为背景。他的作品也是理解美国，尤其是南方社会生活的一把钥匙。本文主要以《献给爱米丽的玫瑰花》，《花斑马》和《熊》为例，探讨福克纳塑造乡村人物形象所寄托的乡土情结，“乡土情结”是他创作的支点。福克纳的乡土观首先包含“根”的观念，家族、历史传统都是“根”。其次是南方社区观念，在南方，人们有一种共同的对世界的态度，一种共同的生活观，一种共同的价值观，这将南方人连结在一起，使南方人之间的交往具有人情味。最后和谐乡土的观念，其中包含了人与自然、自然与自然的和谐与冲突。这种乡土情结，一方面充满作家对故乡传统乡情风俗的赞叹与深爱，另一方面是对近代文明侵袭故土的怆然。

关键词：威廉·福克纳；乡土情结；《献给爱米丽的玫瑰花》；《花斑马》；《熊》

Abstract

William Faulkner is one of the most important American novelists in the twentieth Century. He devoted his life to describing “the country like a stamp”, and most of his works are set in the fictional “Yoknapatawpha County”. His work is a key to understanding the United States, especially life of the Southern society. This paper, taking “A Rose for Emily”, “Spotted Horses”, and “The Bear” as case study, mainly discusses the image of rural people shaped by William Faulkner so as to explore his native complex. Love for his land is the source of his creation. Firstly, Faulkner’s native complex lies in the view of “root”, including the roots of family and other traditions. Secondly, it lies in the concept of community of the South. In the South, people share the common outlook to the world, view of life, and values, which closely bound them up with each other and make the contacts among them more friendly. Thirdly, it lies in harmony between man and nature, including harmony and conflict between man and nature, and nature in itself. His native complex expresses two intentions, on the one hand, praise and love for traditional customs, and on the other hand, criticism on the invasion of modern civilization to his homeland.

Key words: William Faulkner, native complex, “A Rose for Emily”, “Spotted Horses”,  “The Bear”

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Demonstration 1

2.1. The view on “root”1

2.1.1. The root of family 1

2.1.2. The root of the Southern nobility2

2.2. Community of the South3

2.2.1. Relationship between upper level and lower level3

2.2.2. Resistance of the individualism from the North  5

2.3. Harmony in man and nature7

2.3.1. Relationship between human and nature7

2.3.2. Conflict and cycle in nature9

3. Conclusion 11

Works Cited12

Bibliography 13