AbstractsWomens Studies

This dissertation involves a critical discussion of how Faulkner's definitions of "masculine" and "feminine" changed over the course of his literary career, and argues that, especially in his later work, Faulkner became increasingly concerned with the possibilities of a cross-gender dialogue, and with the idea of "dialogue" in general which is implicit in the tenor of much of his later letters, speeches and essays – most notably his Nobel Prize acceptance speech. This discussion is based on a critical analysis of a number of Faulkner's novels, but is chiefly concerned with the evolution of these ideas in the Snopes trilogy.