Abstract and Key Words

Abstract: The theme of time has always been one of the main concerns in Faulkner’s works. This thesis investigates the time consciousness of the four narrators in the Sound and the Fury. Firstly, it studies William Faulkner’s unique writing style in this novel. Secondly, the four narrators are analyzed in terms of the relationships between their words, behaviors and time consciousness. Finally, this thesis concludes with analysis of the theme of the novel, that is, through analysis of the four narrators’ time consciousness, Faulkner expresses his yearn for the old times in the south, animadvert on the Southern corrupted system and his hope for the future of the south.

Key words: the Sound and the Fury; time consciousness; Faulkner

摘要：时间，一直以来就是福克纳作品中的几个重要主题之一。本文深入探讨了小说《喧哗与骚动》中4位叙述者的时间意识。首先，本文分析了威廉.福克纳独特的写作风格。其次，本文研究了四位叙述者的言语、行为及其时间意识之间的关系。最后，文章分析了小说的主题。即福克纳通过对4位叙述者的时间意识的分析，揭露了对南方过去时光的怀念，对南方腐朽体制的批判和对南方未来的展望。

关键词：《喧哗与骚动》;时间意识；福克纳

1. Introduction
1.1 Introduction to William Faulkner
William Faulkner is regarded as one of the most influential and highly regarded novelists in the 20th century. Faulkner was born in a prestigious family in New Albany, Mississippi, on September 25, 1897, and moved to Oxford in 1901. In December of 1950, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Besides, Faulkner also received the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize twice.
It’s widely recognized that Faulkner experienced three stages of his career---the “time of apprenticeship” (1924—1926), the “time of genius” (1929—1936), and the “period of consolidation and affirmation” (1940—1962).
During the first period, Faulkner published his first book, The Marble Faun (1924), which was a collection of poems. His first two novels, Soldier’s Pay, and Mosquitoes were also produced during this period.
Faulkner wrote his most successful works during the second period. Sartoris (1929) was the first indication that Faulkner settled upon both a place and a manner for his work. In writing the book he created his literary cosmos: his own little postage stamp of native soil. As Faulkner once said, “I would never live long enough to exhaust it (the native place) and by sublimating the actual into the apocryphal. I would have complete liberty to use whatever talent I might have to its absolute top.