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Date of Graduation
5-7-2020
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Department of History
Second Advisor
Michael Gubser
Third Advisor
Kristen McCleary
Fourth Advisor
Brooks Hefner
Abstract
This thesis examines the intersection of literature and historical memory, focusing on William Faulkner’s literature and the construction of memory and identity in the 1920s-1930s American South. Understanding the basic objective of memory as using the past to consolidate a social consciousness rooted in a shared identity and future, I examine how literature contributes to and enriches this process. I argue that because memory is deeply embedded in the social frameworks of a population, and dependent on the population’s cultural, political, and social identity, it is a fundamental component of understanding cultural identity. By interpreting literature through the lens of historical memory, I explore how fiction – specifically novels – construct and perpetuate a perception of the world that has real consequences on the way people act and think. Through my research, I concluded that William Faulkner does not just write about the South and its past, but constructs a discourse for understanding the past through the lens of the present; his novels, therefore, serve as a site of memory and provide insight to the cultural webs in which they were produced.
