William and William: The Parallels Between Faulknerian and Shakespearean Tragedy
Poster Number
17B
Format
Poster Presentation
Faculty Mentor Name
Cynthia Dobbs
Faculty Mentor Department
English
Abstract/Artist Statement
Title: “William and William: The Parallels Between Faulknerian and Shakespearean Tragedy”
Abstract: “William and William” analyzes the tragic tone in Light in August and the similarities between Faulkner and Shakespeare’s writing. I argue that Shakespearean and Faulknerian tragedy is dependent on binaries (light and dark, white and black, male and female) and that these binaries contribute to the tension which is crucial to their tragic style. The opposition isn’t just reflected in the gendered and racial narratives, but in the structure of Faulkner and Shakespeare’s writing. The binaries represent a way for opposing ideas to exist as its own entity. Shakespeare and Faulkner create a style of tragedy that mirrors the tensions and uncertainties during the English Renaissance and post Civil War South. My argument focuses on Faulkner’s Light in August and how it compares to Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure and Othello.
Keywords: William Faulkner, William Shakespeare, Race, Gender, Tragedy
Location
DeRosa University Center, Ballroom
Start Date
28-4-2018 1:00 PM
End Date
28-4-2018 3:00 PM
William and William: The Parallels Between Faulknerian and Shakespearean Tragedy
DeRosa University Center, Ballroom
Title: “William and William: The Parallels Between Faulknerian and Shakespearean Tragedy”
Abstract: “William and William” analyzes the tragic tone in Light in August and the similarities between Faulkner and Shakespeare’s writing. I argue that Shakespearean and Faulknerian tragedy is dependent on binaries (light and dark, white and black, male and female) and that these binaries contribute to the tension which is crucial to their tragic style. The opposition isn’t just reflected in the gendered and racial narratives, but in the structure of Faulkner and Shakespeare’s writing. The binaries represent a way for opposing ideas to exist as its own entity. Shakespeare and Faulkner create a style of tragedy that mirrors the tensions and uncertainties during the English Renaissance and post Civil War South. My argument focuses on Faulkner’s Light in August and how it compares to Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure and Othello.
Keywords: William Faulkner, William Shakespeare, Race, Gender, Tragedy