Abstract

A Rose for Emily is one of the most successful short stories written by William Faulkner that describes a miserable life of an eccentric spinster named Emily Grierson. A Rose for Emily reflects almost all Faulkner's writing skills not only from the angles of artistic conception, characterization, but also from language style. This thesis analyzes the narrative features of A Rose for Emily from the first person plural point of view, nonlinear narrative, and gothic narrative strategies. Through expounding the effects of the narrative techniques in the story, the thesis shows readers the unique style of the work and the unique writing skills of the author.

Key words:：A Rose for Emily, first person plural point of view, nonlinear narrative, gothic narrative strategies

摘要

《献给艾米莉的玫瑰》是美国作家威廉•福克纳最优秀的短篇小说之一。它讲述了艾米莉的悲惨一生。无论从小说意境，人物塑造还是语言风格角度来看，该小说几乎展现了福克纳所有的写作技巧。本文从第一人称复数叙事视角，非线性叙事以及哥特式叙事策略三方面分析了本小说的叙事技巧，通过阐述这些叙事技巧在小说中的作用，表现出该作品独特的风格以及作者独特的写作技巧。

关键词：《献给艾米莉的玫瑰》；第一人称复数叙事视角；非线性叙事；哥特叙事策略

1. Introduction
William Faulkner (1897-1962), a Nobel Prize winner for literature, was one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century in America. His reputation was based on his novels, novellas and short stories. He was also a published poet and an occasional screenwriter.
All his life he wrote 19 novels and nearly a hundred short stories. Most of Faulkner's works were set in his native state of Mississippi and he was considered one of the most important Southern writers. However, in the early 1920s Faulkner left for California. From then to the outbreak of WWII, he published 13 novels including The Sound and the Fury (1929), As I Lay Dying (1930), Light in August (1932), and Absalom, Absalom! (1936) and a short story collection including numerous short stories such as Red Leaves, A Rose for Emily, That Evening Sun, and Dry September in 1931.