Conclusion 11

References 12

1. Introduction

1.1 The author

William Faulkner is representative of the famous American modernist writers, but also he is the United States leader of Southern literature. In 1949, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature to commend his unparalleled contribution to the strong interest in contemporary American fiction. (Xu Chao.Study of Faulkner [J] 2007 (7):160)

He was raised in and influenced heavily by the state of Mississippi, as well as by the culture and history of the South as a whole. (Larine, Toyin. “Biography of William Faulkner.” The Mississippi Writers and Musicians Project at Starkville High School. 11 Feb. 2000 Zane, J. Peder.)

His novels, not only show both in the show the world the contradictions of South American society during the tradition transition, as for the south area, people are unable to face the ruinous reality and they become lonely, and painful because of the changing social structure. They also reflect the complex and contradictory Faulkner heart: for the brilliant traditional southern culture, he is with deep love; for the Old South decadent and evil, he is fierce criticism and hatred; and for the decay of the traditional virtues caused by the northern industrial civilization, Faulkner is a bit helpless. Contradiction is the key to understanding the novel.

1.2 The background of the novel 

  A Rose for Emily is one of the representative works that reflect of the complex emotions of Faulkner. The story takes place in the town of Yoknapatawpha County, Jefferson. Emily, the southern aristocratic descent, was bound by the old traditional ideas. Her father strictly controlled her marriage when he was alive. Since the equal thought of state, his father drove some young people, so that his daughter was still bachelordom in her thirty. After his father's death, Emily fell in love with the road construction worker Homer Barron. 

1.3 Researches both at Home and Abroad

Chinese academic circles expand exchanges and discussions with foreign counterparts actively .In twentieth century, the academic circles on the overall study of Faulkner mainly revolves around Faulkner and Faulkner American Southern history and culture, and religion, mythology and philosophy, Faulkner's view of women, some writing skills and other aspects.

Li Wenjun in the research work of the whole "Commentaries on Faulkner" (Beijing: Chinese Social Science Press, 1980) research and comment on a comprehensive collection of the general trend of Faulkner's creation of Faulkner, several works analysis papers, review articles and the introduction of Faulkner and Faulkner his life art and creation of first-hand information. It provides a good material for the study of Faulkner Chinese scholar’s doubt.

In William Faulkner Xiao Minghan (Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 1997) is the first comprehensive, systematic, in-depth study of Faulkner's works. Readers can read and understand Faulkner's works and have a lot of inspiration.

At home China, researches on The Conflicts in A Rose for Emily have been conducted by several scholars. According to Sun Haiyan, she summarized the conflicts in A Rose for Emily in five aspects: the conflicts of the characters, the conflict between Emily and Homer Barron, the conflict between the Narrators, the conflicts of the environment, and the conflicts of the title.

And He Wei, in her paper, mentioned that Emily's conflicts, her ways of struggles and results of these conflicts are the main statements, in which the heroine's fatal destiny can be reasoned out, and the author's creative originality can also be realized. Emily is a member of the declining Old South, which is dominated gradually by the rising New North. Conflicts occurred between the two sides incessantly. With the help of their remnant of privileges some old characters tried hard to retard this tendency temporarily, but their fate was doomed. (HE Wei (Encyclopedia of China Publishing House, Beijing 100037, China) 《献给艾米丽的玫瑰花》中的矛盾(2):http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_44933.html