Introduction to the characteristics of Southern Gothic Literature, specifically for William Faulkner and "A Rose for Emily"

1. Southern Gothic Literature
As you view the next seven slides, see if you
can identify some characteristics of this genre.

9. • Southern Gothic is a subgenre of Gothic
fiction unique to American literature that
takes place exclusively in the American
South.
• Common themes in Southern Gothic
literature include deeply flawed,
disturbing or disorienting characters,
decayed or derelict settings, grotesque
situations, and other sinister events .
• It addresses issues of poverty, alienation,
racism, crime, and violence to explore
social issues and reveal the cultural
character of the American South.
• It uses macabre, ironic events to examine
the values of the American South.
William
Faulkner
Harper
Lee
Eudora
Welty
Tennessee
Williams

10. Introducing
William Faulkner
William Faulkner
(September 25, 1897 –
July 6, 1962) was an
American writer and
Nobel Prize laureate from
Oxford, Mississippi. He is
primarily known for his
novels and short stories,
many of which are set in
the fictional
Yoknapatawpha County.