AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF CRITICISM OF WOMEN CHARACTERS IN WILLIAM FAULKNER'S FICTION (MISSISSIPPI)
Abstract
This annotated bibliography includes all critical books and essays that comment on Faulkner's women characters. The bibliography treats Faulkner's novels and short stories individually and in chronological order. An alphabetical listing of bibliographic entries appears for each of the novels and for each of the short stories which feature women characters. Critical materials that discuss women in multiple works of fiction are cross-referenced. The bibliography excludes doctoral dissertations, reviews, and Faulkner's own comments. The literary critics raise several essential (and unanswered) questions concerning Faulkner's portrayal of women. Are these women characters original creations, or are they derivative, depending on stock characters from Southern folktales? How much was Faulkner influenced in his depiction of women by Charles Dickens, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Sherwood Anderson? Are these women characters stereotypes that remain stagnant throughout Faulkner's career, or are their portraits growing more complex and individualized as the artist matures? One of the more complex aspects of Faulkner's women characters is his own attitude toward them: is he a thorough misogynist, or does he feel some admiration or sympathy for these women? Faulkner's critics both avow and deny his misogyny. The student or critic interested in writing on Faulkner's women characters will find this annotated bibliography has several uses. This study can be used to discover the criticism on the women characters under any title of Faulkner's fiction, as well as the critical opinions on any one woman character appearing in several works. This bibliography can be read to find the views of a particular literary critic on several of the women characters and to compare how different critics respond to Faulkner's women characters. This research tool can aid in evaluating the relevance of the materials to a scholar's needs, while it highlights several controversial and unresolved issues in Faulkner studies. This review of criticism may prompt further studies on these clouded aspects of Faulkner's fiction.
Subject Area
American literature
Recommended Citation
SWEENEY, PATRICIA ELIZABETH, "AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF CRITICISM OF WOMEN CHARACTERS IN WILLIAM FAULKNER'S FICTION (MISSISSIPPI)" (1983). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI8323551.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI8323551
