Title

Using Constraint Logic Programming To Analyze The Chronology In "A Rose For Emily"

Keywords

Chronology; Constraint logic programming; Constraints; Faulkner

Abstract

William Faulkner's non-chronological story telling style has long been a challenge to critics and a puzzle to beginning literature students. "A Rose for Emily," one of Faulkner's most frequently anthologized stories, exemplifies the complexity of Faulkner's treatment of time. In this paper, we apply a constraint-based problem solving method to an analysis of the chronology of "A Rose for Emily." Constraint logic programming is a declarative programming language paradigm that solves problems by enforcing constraints among variables. CLP's ability to sort numeric variables that do not yet have definite values makes it possible to sort the events of "A Rose for Emily" with only fragmented and relative time information. In attempting to sort the events of the story, we find an inconsistency in the temporal references scattered throughout the narrative. After removing this inconsistency, we are able to compare our chronology with earlier ones and discuss the thematic relevance of Faulkner's nonlinear plots. © 2000 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Publication Date

1-1-2000

Publication Title

Computers and the Humanities

Volume

34

Issue

4

Number of Pages

377-392

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026594916008

Socpus ID

31144455773 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/31144455773

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