Lesson Overview:

This lesson focuses on various ways the content of selections of William Faulkner’s prose and Tennessee Williams’ one-act plays illuminate aspects of the psychological climate of the South following the Civil War. The lesson also gives attention to the innovative craftsmanship of the two authors in building these psychological dimensions.

Length of Lesson:

Four 45-minute periods

Notes:

This lesson is particularly suitable for grades 11 and 12, and IB or AP classes.

Instructional Objectives:

Students will:

• gain enhanced understanding of how history can serve as creative inspiration for development of literature.
• examine specific ways an author builds stream-of consciousness.
• explore ways a text projects symbolic statement.
• recognize juxtaposition as a compelling structural device.
• gain increased insight into identifying artistic tensions in theme and form.
• broaden understanding of ways setting can support the development of narrative and characterization.
• move toward differentiating the terms “photographic realism”, “psychological realism” and “poetic realism.”
• continue to explore the nature of the modern “tragic hero.”
• deepen their recognition of the power of literature to capture human experience and evoke empathy and emotional response.
• craft essays of critical analysis and creative writing scripts.
• experience growth in the writing process and in oral skills, skills of research, contextual analysis, and collaboration.
• experience and value the work of two of America’s most celebrated authors.

Supplies:

• William Faulkner’s stories, "The Bear," "Barn Burning," and "A Rose for Emily"
• Tennessee Williams one-act plays, This Property is Condemned and 27 Wagons Full of Cotton
• An American History textbook used in the school
• Background material on the Southern Renaissance as a literary movement
Video camera (optional)

Instructional Plan:

Part I

Activity A

William Faulkner’s "epic" story, "The Bear", provides a meaningful background for study of other literature based on the antebellum South. It also is a valuable source for exploring ways the modern writer uses experimental techniques in form to capture both individual and cultural psychological dimensions. Although students probably will find segments of the narrative obscure and ambiguous and the symbolic development of the story complex, with a little direction, they will be able to extract significant points. This activity suggests some ways to help students penetrate key elements of "The Bear".

Divide students into collaborative groups of 4 to 5 students. Ask each group to review, and briefly record what they know about the nature of the antebellum South. For instance, the impact of Reconstruction on the agrarian culture, the "plantation" culture, the African American culture, the economic, social, and political climate. Have each group share its list in large group format.

Assign the Biographical Information of William Faulkner handout and discuss once again in small groups and then large, listing the highlights in his life and the influences on the board or chart paper.

Consider initiating the "decoding" of "The Bear" with the following assignment in storytelling:

Ask each student to think of a special experience - a discovery about family background, an epiphany, or a decision-making incident that had strong impact on his or her life. Ask each to jot down some specific details of the experience, reflecting the emotions he or she felt both during the experience and in the process of remembering the experience.

Divide the class into groups of three. Ask each person to share his or her experience with the group, avoiding the use of first person throughout the telling of his or her "story." (Setting a brief time limit for each "story" is advisable.)

Alert the "listeners" in the group to assess the following characteristics as the experience is recounted:

• the tone quality the storyteller uses when laying out the setting and/or background. Is it, for instance, a matter-of-fact recount of details, delivered in a matter-of-fact objective tone?
• does the teller’s tone of voice change as he or she recounts the discovery, epiphany, or the decision made?
• does the pace of the delivery remain steady or does it seem to quicken in places?
• are there alterations of time, through the intrusion of associated memories, from time present to time past and back again?
• is there any notable repetition of words, phrases, or key images?
• are the prevailing images concrete or abstract?

Note: Some students may try to "rig" the delivery to fit the "rules". It is unlikely such attempt will be successful beyond a point. The main goal is to evoke heightened student awareness of the above linguistic forces.

Share some of the small group "listener’s" observations in the large group.

Activity B

Ask students to conjecture how a writer could capture a heightened emotional or psychological state in writing in ways other than detailed description.

Assign students to write one or two brief vignettes of prose in which they experiment with ways to capture a psychological reaction or a strong emotional feeling. Encourage them to avoid using first person pronouns in the vignettes.

Share some of the vignettes, asking those sharing to explain their mode of capturing heightened psychological and/or emotional reactions in writing. Give particular attention to any samples that altered the graphics of the text.

Ask students to develop a brief vignette of prose that projects a heightened emotional state (fear, anger, jealousy, shocking discovery, etc.), experimenting with different ways they could alter the graphics of the prose to capture the intensity of the selected "state."

Another suggestion for preparing students to read Faulkner’s "The Bear" would be to initiate a discussion of the ritual of "rites of passage." Probe what students know about such "rites" in other than American cultures and "rites" in Native American culture. Ask them to share their perception of modern day "rites of passage" in America.

Note: To help students better understand the reason for the above exercise, consider sharing with them a few background points on theories of psycholinguistics. For instance, the argument that rhythms and tone qualities and diction of speech change when the speaker is in a heightened emotional or psychological state, that patterns of syntax often change through the addition of sustained and numerous phrases or a reduction to crisp, abrupt minimal expression: fragmentation and/or repetition of brief sentence patterns, words, and phrases. Note that self-conscious or exaggerated body language often signals some kind of inner reaction, that eye pupils dilate or retract. Emphasize that a writer must find ways to transfer these "signals" of heightened states to paper.

Part II

Activity A

Assign the reading of "The Bear".

The first five paragraphs of the story lend themselves well to oral reading; indeed, the "heard" text of the opening can be a very moving experience. A discussion during or at the completion of the five or six paragraphs could focus on such aspects as:

• What is the tone quality of the opening? (Consider giving students about five minutes, before any discussion, to jot down words and/or phrases they would use to describe the tone quality.)
• What structural point of view do you think controls the story at the beginning?
• What is the "ancient and unremitting contest"?
• What is the "event" being described on this "December morning"? What is the special significance of the "event"?
• Who are the participants in the event?
• Describe the implication of the shift from time present to time past in the first part of the story.

Activity B

One of the valuable aspects of "The Bear" as background for reading other literature based on the South is that the narrative captures, in a haunting way, the sense of the "purity" of the pre-Civil War wilderness, the "curse" of slavery that has “polluted” the land, and the tragedy of destruction of the land through post-Civil War invasion of technology, materialism, greed, and corruption.

This juxtaposition of the "myth" of the Old South and the realities of the antebellum South emerges through the consciousness of the persona of the story. The "rites of passage" Ike McCaslin experiences in the hunt, developed in the first three sections, helps to bring students in touch with the romantic pre-Civil War attitudes about the "spirituality" of the land and the rituals of the plantation "aristocracy". The fourth section details Ike’s "epiphany" of the guilt of slavery. The last section focuses on the dramatic change the Civil War has wrought. The "spirit" of the land has been lost in the fierce economic competition, the brutality, and "cheapness" of "reconstruction."

Like so much of Faulkner’s work, "The Bear" is "felt" through symbolic suggestion and the power of the stream-of consciousness. Trying to mine the text too specifically can be frustrating to students (and teachers). Refer to the Examining "The Bear" handout for a few suggestions on ways to help students examine the text as background for further reading of Southern Renaissance literature, the study of modern and post-modern form, and as a support for a study of the history of the South.

Part III

Much of the modern literature written using the antebellum South as a backdrop centers on some element of what may be called the "disease image" of this post Civil War culture. Faulkner’s, "The Bear," for instance, culminates with scenes that project how the land is being "raped" by greed and how the "spirituality" of the Old South has dissipated. Many of Tennessee Williams' celebrated plays, although thematically transcending the environment in which the play is set, are built around some aspect of the "disease image" inherent in the loss and displacement, the shifting values and realigned social dynamics of the South’s antebellum culture. Part II focuses on two of Tennessee Williams’ one-act plays that use such emphasis as the backdrop for development: the brief one-act This Property is Condemned and the three scene one-act 27 Wagons Full of Cotton.

Activity A

Assign the Biographical Information of Tennessee Williams handout to the students as homework, asking them to list the highlights in his life and the influences as they did with Faulkner in the beginning of the lesson. Discuss their findings in the next class period, charting them next to Faulkner's on the board or chart paper.

Divide the class into play-reading pairs. Ask the individuals in each pair to negotiate which of the two character roles they will assume. Remind them to give careful attention to Williams’ italicized comments on setting and characterization.

On completion of the oral reading of the play, ask each pair to discuss and develop brief written responses to the study questions for This Property is Condemned (These are to be returned to the teacher.)

Part IV

Activity A

The play 27 Wagons Full of Cotton offers another statement on strands of "decadence" in the antebellum South. The clever craftsmanship of the play makes for a provocative study of playwriting techniques and the content offers a provocative comment on the post-Civil War South. The content of the play, however, may not be appropriate for classroom study in some teaching environments. But sharing Williams’ consistent argument that he "only wants to tell the truth" and giving recognition that the offensive racial slurs are part of an outdated historical context could, perhaps, make the play more acceptable as a teaching resource in these environments.

Divide the class into play-reading groups of three. Ask them to negotiate the assignment of the three roles. Advise them to give careful attention to Williams’ initial comments on setting.

On completion of the oral reading of the play, ask students to discuss and briefly record conclusions reached using 27 Wagons Full of Cotton.

Part V

Two sources that would complement the study of Tennessee Williams’ "Southern" dramas are William Faulkner’s short stories, "Barn Burning" and "A Rose for Emily." These stories also capture the sense of a “disease image” and the erosion of the "Cavalier myth" of the old South. Provide background information (or assign research) on Faulkner’s fictional Yoknapatawpha County with its fictional families: the "old aristocracy" Sartorises and Compson clan; the poor-white Bundrens; and the vengeful Snopeses. Note that much of Faulkner’s writing is built around characters from this array of fictional families. The result is a tapestry that gives witness to the social, economic, political ills and personal sense of loss that accompany the decay of the old South.

Activity A

Assign the reading of "Barn Burning." Follow up with some of the below-suggested topics for discussion. (Could be used for quizzes, or short essays.)

• What is the setting for the first part of the story? What part does the boy play in this “scene”?
• How would you characterize Abner Snopes?
• What is the relationship of Abner Snopes to Major de Spain?
• What is the boy’s dilemma? Clarify with specifics from the text.
• Identify aspects of artistic tension in theme and form. For instance, note that Faulkner embeds many of the negative threads of the story in the beauty of nature.
• Other possibilities: the active engagement of the boy Sarty in the woes of the family compared to the withdrawal of his sisters; the “plantation atmosphere of the de Spain family in relation to the environment in which the Snopes live; the struggle the boy has between his love for his father and pride in his father’s war record with the awareness that his father is doing wrong; the struggle of whether or not he will support his father as a witness
• What techniques does Faulkner use to build stream-of-consciousness in the story? Several sections of Barn Burning provide good material for dramatization. Encourage students interested in playwriting, theater, and film to work together to develop a script of an episode(s), then prepare it for performance and/or filming.

Note: Many years ago, the American Film Institute made a film of this story. If the film could be accessed, it would be interesting to show as a comparison to student responses in dramatizing and/or filming the story (camera angles, what is emphasized, subordinated etc. in filming as well as in the development of a script).

Activity B

Assign the reading of "A Rose for Emily." Follow up with some of the topics for classroom discussion suggested below. (Could be used for quizzes, and/or brief essay assignments.)

• "A Rose for Emily" is considered to be a "Southern Gothic" tale. Research some background on the Gothic horror tales of the mid-nineteenth century Romantic period. Rethink any "Gothic" stories you might have read, for instance, "The Tell Tale Heart' and/or "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allen Poe. Then explain specific ways you think Faulkner’s story “qualifies” as a "Gothic" tale.
• Note that the story is developed from the point of view of the townspeople ("our","we", "the whole town"). The reader learns a great deal about the town and the nature of its people through this filter. Construct a brief overview of your perception of the townspeople in the story, drawing specifics from the text to explain the basis of your perceptions.
• How did the townspeople view Miss Emily Greirson? How do you view her?
• Note the detail of Faulkner’s description of the house Emily has lived in for many years. In what way can the house be perceived as a symbol?
• In what specific ways does Faulkner "tease" the reader to want to know more about the "mystery" of Miss Emily?
• Some scholars argue that the exposition, characterization, and narrative of "A Rose for Emily" become a symbolic representation of the pre-Civil War—antebellum South. What arguments could one use to promote this theory?

Assessment:

Use the Assessment Rubric to evalaute the work of your students.

Suggested writing topics for Assessment:

• Ask students to construct an overview statement of what they have learned in history classes about Reconstruction and the general nature of the antebellum South in the last part of the 19th and the first decades of the 20th century. Encourage them to be as detailed as possible in their recall and to consider that period of history from several perspectives—the political, economic, social and cultural realignments generated by the Confederate defeat and the invasion of Northern industrialism.
• Assign an essay that asks students to develop an analysis of one Faulkner and one Tennessee Williams source covered in Part I and Part II from the point of view of how each source reflects aspects of historical accounts of the antebellum South. Encourage students to examine content, setting, and characterization and different ways the two authors use images to reflect the existing tensions in this period of Southern history. (For instance: "Syndicate Plantation"; barn-burning; "wagons full of cotton"; "commissary"; "no fence to keep the hog in"; Confederate war wounds)
• Display a map of the southern United States. Ask students to identify states they consider "southern", then make a jot list of words and images they associate with or think capture the aura of the term "southern" or "the South". (Some possible responses: magnolias; swamps; plantations; southern pines; cornbread; grits; southern accent; mules; "moonshine" and stills; bourbon whiskey; mockingbirds; hoe-down; blue-grass and country music). Consider making a master list on the board.
• Assign students to write a vignette of prose, a poem, or a sketch of dialogue that incorporates one or more "southern" images. Share as many responses as time allows. Encourage them to think in terms off all five senses (smell, touch, hearing, etc.) in building their responses.

Extensions:

The following are ambitious but possible discussion assignments.

Tennessee Williams, in his "Production Notes" for The Glass Menagerie, states that “Everyone should know nowadays the unimportance of the photographic in art; that truth, life, or reality is an organic thing which the poetic imagination can represent or suggest, in essence, only through transformation, through changing into other forms than those which were merely present in appearance.” Williams will label his method of capturing this “truth” “poetic realism”. He will use music, lighting, props, settings, background figures, linguistics (rhythms, images, repetition of phrases), and other devices to achieve this “transformation”. In effect, he superimposes the “reality” of his imagination on the “actual” to create a “truthful” statement of his creative vision.

William Faulkner’s “realism” is built through stream-of consciousness, a method that positions “truth” within the framework of individual perception, projected through a synthesis of strands of thought process (memory, conjecture; abstracting, hypothesizing, etc.) and observation of the “actual” (empirical) world.

“Photographic realism” is “recording” the “actual” (the “surface” layer) in close detail. The artist is an objective observer.

Consider setting up a student panel of six members to work in pairs. Assign each pair the task of preparing a presentation on one of the above three theories of “realism”. Advise the participants that their responsibilities will include:

• giving a definition of their assigned “concept”
• helping to clarify the definition by sharing an example of the assigned “realism” – for instance, a painting, a sculpture, an interior monologue, a photograph that reflects the subjectivity of individual perception through camera angle, a sketch of an “actual” stage setting of the kind used in American “realistic” drama in the early 20th century.
• drawing evidence from a Faulkner and/or Williams text to help clarify the definition, identifying specific elements of the “actual” within the chosen text and explaining specific ways Faulkner and Williams have added dimensions to the “actual” to capture psychological and emotional dimensions of “reality”
• preparing to lead a large group discussion probing the “validity” of the three theories

Encourage the participants to read Henry James short story, "The Real Thing," to help them gain added insight into the theories of “realism”. Also encourage them to consider the implication of Eugene O’Neill’s references to “snapshots” and “banality” as he reaches beyond the “photographic realism” to articulate the complexities of the human psyche as defined in theories of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung: “ The old {“realism”} no longer applies….we have taken too many snapshots …endured too much from the banality of surfaces.”

If possible, display a map of the southern United States. Ask students to identify states they consider “southern”, then make a jot list of words and images they associate with or think capture the aura of the term “southern” or “the South”... (Some possible responses: magnolias; swamps; plantations; southern pines; cornbread; grits; southern accent; mules; “moonshine” and stills; bourbon whiskey; mockingbirds; hoe-down; blue-grass and country music). Consider making a master list on the board.

Assign students to write a vignette of prose, a poem, or a sketch of dialogue that incorporates one or more “southern” images. Share as many responses as time allows. Encourage students to think in terms off all five senses (smell, touch, hearing, etc.) in building their responses.

The detail of settings and characterizations in Tennessee Williams’ plays and William Faulkner’s stories offer rich opportunities for studio art responses. Encourage students interested in drawing and painting to sketch individual characters and/or develop a drawing or painting of a setting or scene.

Sources:

Print:

• Halditch, Kenneth and Leavitt, Richard Freeman. Tennessee Williams and the South. University Press of Mississippi, 2002.
• Kinney, A.F. Faulkner’s Narrative Poetics: Style as Vision. Amherst: University Press of Massachusetts Press, 1978.
• Poierer, Richard. “The Bear”. Modern Critical Views: William Faulkner. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986.

Authors:

• Jayne Karsten, English, Grades 9-12
  The Key School
  Annapolis, MD US