Abstract

William Faulkner is one of the most influential writers of American literature history. And he is American novelist, poet and playwright. Light in August is one of his masterpieces. It belongs to the Southern gothic and modernist literary genres, landmark in American fiction.  There are two worlds in the novel, one world is full of death, violence, and scare. However, another world is full of warmth, happiness and justice. And, Light in August includes many themes, for example, racial discrimination, sexual discrimination, violent and the conflicts between individual and society.
This thesis will explore the roots of Joe’s tragedy in Light in August through discuss the influence of racism, social discrimination, family and personal character. And this thesis is divided into five chapters. The first chapter introduces William Faulkner、his masterpiece Light in August and the critical survey of William Faulkner and Light in August. The second chapter is mainly discusses the life experience of Joe. The third and four are mainly tells readers that Joe is not only a victim of the corrupted society but also a victim of himself. The last chapter is the conclusion.

Keywords:  tragedy  William Faulkner   racial discrimination   social factors

摘要

威廉·福克纳（William Cuthbert Faulkner，1897.9.25－1962.7.6）为美国文学历史上最具影响力的作家之一，美国小说家、诗人和剧作家，意识流文学在美国的代表人物。《八月之光》是福克纳的代表作之一。在这部作品之中,他描绘了两个世界:其中一个世界代表了光明，正义和幸福;而另外一个世界则是充满了死亡，黑暗，恐惧和暴力。通过对这两个世界的对比,作者完成了故事情节和人物形象的塑造。这部小说包含多个主题,如种族歧视,性别歧视,暴力以及个人和社会之间的冲突,并且分析了人类社会和道德心理。
本文主要通过探讨宗教、社会和家庭对以乔·克里斯莫斯的影响,以及乔自身孤僻而又自傲的性格的形成这几个方面的问题,来找寻他悲剧的根源。本文主要分为五个组成部分：第一章主要介绍作家威廉·福克纳及其作品《八月之光》，并介绍《八月之光》的国内外研究现状 。第二部分主要介绍克里斯莫斯的人生经历。第三部分介绍克里斯莫斯悲剧根源的社会原因。第四部分讲述克里斯莫斯悲剧根源的的自身原因。第五章总结克里斯莫斯悲剧的根源所在。

关键词: 悲剧；威廉·福克纳；种族歧视；社会因素

Chapter One Introduction
1.1 A Brief Introduction to William Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner, also known as Will Faulkner, is an American novelist, poet and playwright, and is considered one of the most important writers of the Southern literature of the United States. Because of his great contribution for American modern novelist, he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949. Faulkner worked in various written media, including poetry, novels, plays, short stories, essays and screenplays. The majority of his works are based on his native state of Mississippi. He is primarily known and acclaimed for his novels and short stories, and many of his short stories and novels are set in Yoknapatawpha County where he spent most of his life.