Comparison and Contrast A Rose for Emily by William...

The short story, as with other literary forms, is not defined by its actual parameters. Subject and theme may be as varied as those within full-length novels, just as the authors individual style plays an inevitable role in shaping the work. That said, there is a common element uniting short stories; they usually create impact due to the brevity itself, which authors typically rely on to make a more direct impression. Condensed, the form offers more overt power, and this is evident in how William Faulkner and Edgar Allan Poe employ it to achieve distinctly Gothic effects. â€Å"A Rose for Emily† and â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† are very different stories set in very different worlds, and the tone of the narration in each is equally†¦show more content†¦This renders the tone more one of reminiscence and, if Faulkners narrator is not as grandiloquent as Poes, he nonetheless paints vivid pictures, as in his description of Emily later in life: â€Å"She look ed bloated, like a body long submerged in water, and of that pallid hue† (Faulkner 3). What may be most interesting in the differences of narrator tone, however, is how each underscores the thrust of the story. Poes extreme voice works to build up to a disturbing conclusion of murder; the exaggeration of Montresors tone conforms to the trajectory of the story. With Faulkner, understatement is the key. His story ends as dramatically, if not more so, than Poes, and the effect of the revealed necrophilia is amplified by how moderately the narrator conveys the tale. If symbolism is an element in both stories, it must be noted that – and ironically – it is far more evident in Faulkner. The irony lies in an expectation of symbolism in Poe because his style is so extreme, whereas it is less expected in Faulkners understatement. Poe does employ the symbolic, certainly; strikingly, Montresors revenge is planned for a night of the carnival, and his victim is dressed in bright colors and with bells on his cap, like a fool. There is as well the blatant symbolism of the Montresor vaults as the scene of the murder. Here, all the prideShow MoreRelatedMurder in the Novels, The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe and A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner733 Words   |  3 Pages The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poes and William Faulkners A Rose for Emily are compelling murder stories, full of dynamic characters, vivid detail, and compelling points of view. These two stories encompass the elements of plot, character, setting and point of view among others. Although the elements of the central theme of murder are different, these stories share other elements that make these stories unique. In the short story â€Å"The cask of Amontillado† by Edgar Allan Poe, the basicRead MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 Pageselsewhere, most frequently to character or idea. Understanding a plot on a schematic level becomes even more difficult when dealing with works, usually novels, that have more than one plot. Many novels contain one or more subplots that reinforce by contrast or parallel the main plot. Some novels even contain a double plot, as in Thackeray’s â€Å"Vanity Fair†, where we are asked to follow the careers of both the selfish adventuress Becky Sharp and the innocent, good-hearted Amelia Sedley. As Amelia’s fortunes