Motionless as an Idol - Columbus State University
Motionless as an Idol - Columbus State University Motionless as an Idol - Columbus State University
"Bullock 6wrote about the artists whom he admired most and "mainly drew on the artistic traditionof the impressionist and post-impressionist eras" (Honnighausen 559). Faulknerappreciated several painters. Degas, Manet, and Chavannes, but he was particularlyinfluenced by the Post-Impressionistic painters, such as Picasso, Matisse, Gauguin, VanGogh, and Cezanne (Blotner 160). Iwill examine Cezanne's influence on Faulkner indetail later in the discussion of "A Rose for Emily.There is a subtle dialogue present in each of the texts Iwill analyze here thatconverses with these Modernist painters by whom Faulkner was so struck. Iwill examinethe distinct elements that compose Faulkner's response to his culture's artisticconversation in conjunction with the texts in which they appear. However, the dialogue towhich I refer is more complex than it may initially appear. Examining Faulkner's workthrough the contexts of Modernist art and his commentary on women introduces thesignificant question of why he even includes art as a significant theme in his work andalso, why he casts his cultural criticisms within metaphors. My analysis seeks to answerboth of these questions, illustrating the parallels between Faulkner's artistic interests andhis own intentions in creating art using metaphor.Just as any discussion of Faulkner would be incomplete without the Southernelements, so itis with the influences and effects of Modernism. Stephen Spender talksabout Modernism and how it changed from preceding traditions: "[...] the principle ofreality in our time is peculiarly difficult to grasp, and that 'realism' is not an adequateapproach to it" (qtd. in Peter Faulkner 15). Faulkner is creating art out of the samesocietal context as the artists who influenced him. Therefore, it is natural that there aresimilarities in the content and form of their work, and these similarities will be analyzed
Bullock 7in detail later. In the same way Faulkner was participating in a (visually) artisticconversation, he was also textually joining the ancient literary tradition of ekphrasis.Ekphrasis is the representation of visual art, art pieces, or visual scenes in traditionallypoetic form, but also in prose. Ekphrasis allows for reflection not only on individualpieces of art, as in Keats' s "Ode on a Grecian Urn" but also for reflection on thedifferences between art and life. Faulkner used this tradition to his advantage, adapting itto his Modernist sensibilities by using ekphrasis as a way to allow the reader a tool thatcan be utilized to examine the layers of reality as portrayed through art. This becomesparticularly poignant when considering the circumstances of Faulkner's women discussedin this project; ekphrasis allows for the questioning of who is responsible for theconstruction of reality, society, and its representative art.The use of ekphrasis establishesFaulkner's place in literature's heritage but also allows for questioning his message andhis methods.Faulkner's methodical use of art metaphors evidences his "multiple creativity"through the depth of meaning he conveys through them (Lind 127). Faulkner believed inthe power of visual art as imagined through written art, had "a sense that [modernistauthors'] writing might recuperate from the abstractness of Victorian prose by attainingsome of the concreteness of the arts" (Honnighausen 560). The metaphors Faulkneremploys to explain the consciousness of his society also add a level of concreteness towhat could otherwise appear as dismissible abstract ideas and perhaps seems out of placein such stories.
- Page 2 and 3: Digitized by the Internet Archivein
- Page 4 and 5: Bullock 2TABLE OF CONTENTSINTRODUCT
- Page 6 and 7: Bullock 4Iseek to establish my argu
- Page 10 and 11: Bullock 8As I Lay Dying and The Sou
- Page 12 and 13: Bullock 10Another art metaphor Faul
- Page 15 and 16: Bullock 13essence, both necessary s
- Page 17 and 18: Bullock 15We had long thought of th
- Page 19 and 20: Bullock 17but no longer considered
- Page 21 and 22: Bullock 19Miss Emily as idol, thus
- Page 23 and 24: Bullock 21The art metaphor of Miss
- Page 25 and 26: Bullock 23Community and Religion in
- Page 27 and 28: Bullock 25Faulkner's response allow
- Page 29 and 30: Bullock 27setting. It is this preoc
- Page 31 and 32: Bullock 29male-dominated system whi
- Page 33 and 34: Bullock 31for Faulkner to communica
- Page 35 and 36: Bullock 33skewed sexuality and misp
- Page 37 and 38: Bullock 35from all walks of life, "
- Page 39 and 40: Bullock 37townspeople, readers can
- Page 41 and 42: Bullock 39one in which male dominan
- Page 43 and 44: The Eternal Feminine, Paul CezanneB
- Page 45 and 46: Bullock 43—. AsI Lav Dying . 1930
Bullock 7in detail later. In the same way Faulkner w<strong>as</strong> participating in a (visually) artisticconversation, he w<strong>as</strong> also textually joining the <strong>an</strong>cient literary tradition of ekphr<strong>as</strong>is.Ekphr<strong>as</strong>is is the representation of visual art, art pieces, or visual scenes in traditionallypoetic form, but also in prose. Ekphr<strong>as</strong>is allows for reflection not only on individualpieces of art, <strong>as</strong> in Keats' s "Ode on a Greci<strong>an</strong> Urn" but also for reflection on thedifferences between art <strong>an</strong>d life. Faulkner used this tradition to his adv<strong>an</strong>tage, adapting itto his Modernist sensibilities by using ekphr<strong>as</strong>is <strong>as</strong> a way to allow the reader a tool thatc<strong>an</strong> be utilized to examine the layers of reality <strong>as</strong> portrayed through art. This becomesparticularly poign<strong>an</strong>t when considering the circumst<strong>an</strong>ces of Faulkner's women discussedin this project; ekphr<strong>as</strong>is allows for the questioning of who is responsible for theconstruction of reality, society, <strong>an</strong>d its representative art.The use of ekphr<strong>as</strong>is establishesFaulkner's place in literature's heritage but also allows for questioning his message <strong>an</strong>dhis methods.Faulkner's methodical use of art metaphors evidences his "multiple creativity"through the depth of me<strong>an</strong>ing he conveys through them (Lind 127). Faulkner believed inthe power of visual art <strong>as</strong> imagined through written art, had "a sense that [modernistauthors'] writing might recuperate from the abstractness of Victori<strong>an</strong> prose by attainingsome of the concreteness of the arts" (Honnighausen 560). The metaphors Faulkneremploys to explain the consciousness of his society also add a level of concreteness towhat could otherwise appear <strong>as</strong> dismissible abstract ide<strong>as</strong> <strong>an</strong>d perhaps seems out of placein such stories.
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