Date of Award
5-1-1996
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in English
Department
English
First Advisor
Dr. Benjamin F. Fisher, IV
Second Advisor
Michael Dean
Third Advisor
Colby Kullman
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
This thesis is a study of the affinities amongst Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Nature, Mary Murfree’s "Driftin’ Down Lost Creek" and "The Mystery of Witch-Face Mountain" and William Faulkner’s "The Bear." The linkages of Emerson’s Nature with the three stories are explored in terms of Emerson’s “symbiosis theory": the symbiotic relationship between Man and Nature.
Through a careful analysis of Nature, in which the "Language" section of Emerson’s essay is of primary focus, Emerson’s "theory" that “every natural fact is a symbol of some spiritual fact" (32) is thoroughly examined. When the philosophic and literary influences upon Emerson’s symbiotic analogies and metaphors are highlighted, numerous affinities with the selected stories of Murfree and Faulkner are illuminated.
A brief chapter outlining the affinities which some of the major works of Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, and Poe share with Emerson’s “symbiosis theory" follows my analysis of Nature. My purpose in this section is to demonstrate how works such as Moby-Dick, Walden, and even "The Fall of the House of Usher" share affinities with Emerson’s “symbiosis theory." As one examines Murfree and Faulkner’s stories in terms of Emerson’s “theory" in succeeding chapters, clearer connections between the "theory" and the stories can be made.
In the chapter on Murfree I give a brief biographical sketch of the author of “Driftin’" and "Mystery" for those who are unfamiliar with this “local color" author from Tennessee. Summaries of the plots of both stories and detailed analysis of the linkages of Emerson’s "theory" with the stories comprise the rest of the Murfree section.
The Faulkner chapter contains a vigorous analysis of the affinities between Emerson’s “symbiosis theory" and “The Bear." Similarities between "The Bear" and Emerson’s poem "Hamatreya" are also examined.
Conclusively, the emphasis in this thesis is analysis of Emerson’s Nature and the exploration of the "Affinities of Nature Symbiosis" from Emerson to Faulkner. However, I also demonstrate, through my analysis of the "affinities" amongst the works of Emerson, Murfree, and Faulkner, that Southern literature, despite its undeniable regionalisms, is reflective of American literature in general.
Recommended Citation
Wert, Justin Robert, "From Emerson to Faulkner : affinities of nature symbiosis" (1996). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3452.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/3452