Reference no: EM133462475

Author Study - Literature of the South

Directions: Review the questions below and then complete the readings and responses as directed. Type your responses in a word document and submit them in the course site.

Question 1. Read three short stories by southern authors:

• William Faulkner, "A Rose for Emily"
• Flannery O'Connor, "Revelation"
• Zora Neale Hurston, "Spunk"

Question 2. Complete the Week 9 Lit of the South Quiz in the course site.

Question 3. Read about southern literature and southern gothic literature and record five interesting facts or ideas from your reading (the main selection or links to other essays, research, and websites). For each fact, include a citation with proper attribution. If you use the exact wording from a source, place it in quotation marks and attribute it correctly. Include an explanation of each fact as to its significance in your understanding of the author's works you read.
Fact 1:

Fact 2:

Fact 3:

Fact 4:

Fact 5:

Question 4. Analyze the stories for literary devices, and record one example of the following devices from any of these stories that are exceptionally well-done. Quote each example (include story title and page number for citation). Then, explain the rationale for your selection. Each explanation should be at least one paragraph in length (5-12 sentences).

Literary Device - Foreshadowing: Rationale for selection:
Literary Device - Irony:
Rationale for selection:
Literary Device - Symbol:
Rationale for selection: 18 points (6 points each)

Question 5. After reading all three stories, answer the following questions from the Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Each answer should be 1-2 paragraphs and cite specific examples from the stories for support.
• "A Rose for Emily" Question #1 (modified): How does Faulkner's ordering of events affect the reading of this story?

• "Revelation" Question #3 (modified): Discuss Mrs. Turpin's prideful hypocrisy in connection with racism. How do pride and personal illusions inform her racial attitude?

• "Spunk" question: What seems to be the author's primary theme in this folktale?

Question 6. Choose two of these questions and respond:

• Question 1: Consider William Faulkner's characterization of Tobe in "A Rose for Emily." Why do you think Tobe is a "wooden stereotype" or realistic portrayal of a black man from that era?

• Question 2: Compare two of the stories you read for this study and discuss the way in which regional speech is rendered. Which rendition of southern dialogue do you prefer and why?

• Question 3: Considering "Revelation," could this story have been set in the South if it had been written in the past five years? Why or why not?

• Question 4: Beyond the obvious (that these stories are written by southern authors and place in the South), what similarities do these three short stories have?

Question 7. Evaluate these southern authors by responding to the following questions:

• What makes these authors worthy of study?
• What did you personally connect with in these stories?
• What characters did you find engaging and why?
• What (if anything) challenged you as a reader concerning your faith or worldview?

Cite specific short stories and your research in your evaluation. Please write your evaluation in two to three paragraphs, using complete sentences (a paragraph can be between 5-12 sentences).