"The Old Fierce Pull of Blood": Family and the Southern Gothic

This thesis focuses on the impact and influence of familial legacy and dysfunction on the Southern Gothic genre by focusing on short fiction written by two of the major authors of the genre: William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor. Through exploring texts such as "Barn Burning", "A Rose for Emily", "That Evening Sun", "A Justice", "A Good Man Is Hard To Find", "Good Country People", and "The Lame Shall Enter First", the correlation between the gothic and family is made clear, as familial problems (due to blood inheritance or general dysfunction) often serve as the catalyst for the more well-known gothic motifs that are present in these tales, while also existing as elements of the gothic themselves. This thesis utilizes the writing theories of both Faulkner and O'Connor to evaluate the connection between the South, the gothic, and family, while also drawing upon scholarship focused on the American Gothic and the selected authors.

Grantor dc:publisher

Wake Forest University

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Davis, Rebecca

• Family

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10339/39333

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:wakespace.lib.wfu.edu:10339/39333