The Poetics of Elements in Faulkner's As I lay Dying

Frédérique Spill (1, 2)

1 CORPUS - Conflits, représentations et dialogues dans l'univers anglo-saxon - UR UPJV 4295
2 UPJV - Université de Picardie Jules Verne

A flooding river and a barn afire constitute two of the most striking images in As I Lay Dying. But the four natural elements are actually central to the nove! besides these two key moments in the Bundrens' odyssey toward Jefferson. In a very subtle way, Faulkner entwines earth, water, air and tire in his tale of loss, mouming and survival. By focusing on the representations of elements in As I Lay Dying, on some of their recurring manifestations and on parts of the scenery that emerge from the successive narrations, this article aims to examine the details of Faulkner's elemental poetics.

Mots clés: Poetics; close reading; bills; rains; skies; the blaze; natural elements; Poetics

Domaines: Littératures

Frédérique Spill. The Poetics of Elements in Faulkner's As I lay Dying. Cycnos, 2018, "The Wagon moves" : new essays on William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, 34 (2), pp.157-176. ⟨hal-03185582⟩