The centenary（百年）of the birth of William Faulkner, one of the great modern novelists, was celebrated in September 1997. Faulkner wrote about the southern states of the United States of America where he grew up, and where his family had an important part to play in the history of that region. His work became a touchstone for insights into the troubled issues of southern American identity, race relations, and the family interrelationships of the old time southern gentry(贵族).
Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi on September 25, 1897. Despite his interest in writing, he left Oxford High School, Mississippi, without graduating. After World War I, he entered the University of Mississippi as a special student, a right to study which was granted to retired soldiers, although Faulkner had only finished training with the Air Force in Canada, and not entered combat(战斗).
Faulkner began to write poems, a verse play, short stories and finished his first novel Sartoris in 1928. His fiction was centered for 14 of the 19 novels published during his lifetime in a fictional region called Yoknapatawpha County. The name is said to come from the Indian Chickasaw word meaning split land.
In December 1950, Faulkner was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. When he accepted it in Stockholm, his speech emphasized that he wished to continue writing, but in a positive way that affirmed the power of humanity to prevail over adverse circumstances. As he said in his speech, he still felt that, despite the threat of nuclear war then hanging over the world, the central concern of the writer should be “the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself”. He wanted the tensions and problems that he had cast the spotlight on in the southern states of America to be resolved by the life-affirming attitudes and action of his characters. Like playwright Tennessee Williams, Faulkner was a major voice who spoke for the troubled heart of the southern states of America. His achievement is all the more remarkable because, as a schoolboy, he was not only a frequent absentee but also reportedly failed to reach pass grades in English class. His collected short stories, novels, poems, and other writings form a legacy( 遗产) of literature which casts profound illumination(启发) on the special culture of the South, a culture which developed from a history and social circumstances that were always unique.
From the focus on a fictional county, and by remaining true to his view of a close-knit but real society that reflected the greater world around him, Faulkner in the end fashioned a legend of the Deep South that is one of the major achievements of the 20th century literature.
小题1:Which of the following statements about William Faulkner is NOT true？| A．William Faulkner’s work focuses on several troubled problems of southern America. | | B．William Faulkner died one hundred years ago. | | C．Although William Faulkner did not graduate from high school, he had great interests in writing. | | D．William Faulkner once took part in the army when he was young. |
小题2:Why did William Faulkner write about the southern states of America?| A．They were the place where he grew up and his family took an important role in the history of that region. | | B．His work became a touchstone. | | C．He cared about the troubled issues of southern America. | | D．He felt sympathy for the poor in southern America. |
小题3:Which of the following statements about Tennessee William is true?| A．Both Tennessee William and William Faulkner are playwrights. | | B．Tennessee William was a major voice who spoke for the troubled people in southern America. | | C．Like Faulkner, he once won Nobel Prize for literature. | | D．Tennessee William had to pursue his writing career through difficult times. |
小题4:What was William Faulkner’s attitude toward the troubled issues of southern America?| A．He reflected them by writing and criticized them. | | B．He intended to call on the troubled people to rebel. | | C．The troubled issues of southern America just provided many elements for his novels. | | D．He advocated resolving them in positive attitudes and actions. |
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